NORTH  CAROLINA  STATE  UNlVERSimiBRARlES 


cnonAfi387   U 


This  book  is  due  on  the  date  indicated 
below  and  is  subject  to  an  overdue 
fine  as  posted  at  the  circulation  desk. 


EXCEPTION:  Date  due  will  be 
earlier  if  this  item  is  RECALLED. 


JUN  0  1  2^2 


r\3 


200M/06-99-991212 


Clean  Milk 

S.  D.  BELCHER,  M.D. 

Research  Worker  in  the  Rockefeller  Institute 
for  Medical  Research,  attached  to  the 
Research  Laboratory  of  the  De- 
partment of  Health  of  the 
City  of  New  York 


With  an  Introduction  by 
WILLIAM  HALLOCK  PARK,  M.D. 

Professor  of  Bacteriology  and  Hygiene  in  the 

University  and  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical 

College  and  Director  of  the  Research 

Laboratory  of  the  Department  of 

Health  of  the  City  of  New  York 


New  York 

Orange  Judd  Company 

1909 


Copyright,  1903,  by 
The  Habdy  Publishing  Compact 


4-^4-^ 


[Printed  in  U.  S.  A.] 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

Frontispiece Facing  page  1 

Title  Page 1 

List  of  Illustrations 7 

Preface 9 

Introduction 11 

The  Transportation  of  Milk 23 

Chapter  I.     TJie  Cow  Yard  and  the  Pasture      .        .        .        .28 

The  ideal  situation  for  a  cow  barn — The  relation  of  cow 
yards  and  pastures  to  the  cleanliness  of  the  herd — The 
evils  of  insufficient  field  quarters — The  improvement  of 
a  bad  cow  yard — Changing  the  pasture. 

Chapter  II.    Manure 33 

The  evils  of  manure — Keeping  it  out  of  milk — Proper  dis- 
posal and  storage. 

Chapter  III.     The  Coio  Barn 37 

In  general — The  winter  stabling  of  cows — Its  deficiencies 
as  compared  with  what  Nature  provides — The  need  of  a 
building  designed  for  the  use  of  cows  only — Advantage 
of  the  shed  style  of  barn — Small  barns  and  small  herds 
— The  single  line  of  stalls — The  floor — Cement  better 
than  wood — Slope  to  facilitate  draining — Construction 
of  a  urine  gutter — Substitute  for  the  manure  gutter. 

Sidings — The  value  of  smoothness  and  light  color. 


** 


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TABLE      OF     CONTENTS  — CONTINUED 


Light  and  tuberculosis  in  cattle— Windows  and  skylights— Light 
essential  for  good  health. 

Ventilation — Pure  air  in  the  fields  and  in  the  barn — Overhead  outlet 
for  dead  air— The  question  of  air  space  and  ventilation. 

The  stalls  and  the  stanchion— Skeleton  construction— Base  of  the 
stanchion  sunk  in  the  floor— Single  bar  for  partitions— The  problem 
of  accommodating  cow  and  stall— The  tipping  stanchion— What  it 
accomplishes  toward  cleanliness. 

Mangers  and  water  buckets. 

Equipment — Artificial  light — Water  supply— Washing  facilities. 

Storage — Objectionable — Unnecessary  dirt  from  farm  machinery  and 
odors  from  feed. 

Care  of  the  barn — Clean  condition  beneficial  to  the  herd — Two  general 
cleanings — Dust  the  great  enemy — The  value  of  whitewash — Flush- 
ing the  floor  daily — The  time  for  sweeping — What  to  do  with  the 
manure  gutter — The  use  of  metal  vehicles. 

Bedding— Feeding. 


Chapter  IV.     Isolation  Quarters 66 

The  care  of  a  sick  cow— The  necessity  of  separation  from  the  herd— 
Of  use  in  the  treatment  of  a  tuberculous  cow. 


Chapter  V.     The  Improvement  of  a  Dairy     .        .        .69 

What  can  be  done  with  small  expenditure— A  typical  instance. 

Chapter  VI.     The  Cows 74 

The  responsibility  for  their  health  and  condition— The  question  of 
cleanliness — Manure  on  the  cow's  body — The  use  of  a  broom — A 
special  cleaning — Washing  and  scrubbing  with  brush  and  soap — 
Keeping  cows  standing  until  the  milking  is  over— The  throat  latch 
—Clipping  long  hairs  and  trimming  the  tail. 

Chapter  VII.     The  Milker 81 

The  rules  of  the  kitchen  apply  to  the  production  of  milk— Milk  and 
the  absorption  of  odors — Special  qualifications  of  the  milker — Ex- 
cused from  work  in  case  of  illness— Washing  hands  before  milking 
and  special  milking  clothes. 

4 


TABLE       OF      C  O  N  T  E  N  T  S  —  C  O  N  T  I  N  U  E  D 


Chapter  VIII.     Milk  and  Its  Preservation 

Milking  as  nature  devised  it— The  scientist  and  his  sterilized  bottle 
—The  lesson  for  the  farmer— Non-exposure  of  milk— A  corrective 
for  unavoidable  exposure— The  cause  of  milk  souring— Exposure, 
what  it  is  and  how  to  reduce  it— Ice  the  best  preservative— What 
cooling  milk  accomplishes — The  time  for  cooling — Bactericidal 
properties— Immediate  and  continued  cooling  essential  for  milk 
destined  for  the  cities. 


Chapter  IX.     Milking 91 

Preparation — The  barn  cleaned,  the  cows  groomed,  and  the  throat 
latch  adjusted — Washing  hands — The  milking  suit— The  position  of 
the  milking  pail — Milk  contaminated  through  accident  kept  from 
the  general  supply — No  unnecessary  persons  present — Milk  pail 
to  be  covered  while  carried  to  and  from  the  bam — The  place  for 
straining— Receiving  cans  covered — Blankets  and  jackets  for  the 
cans— The  dairy  thermometer. 

Chapter  X.     The  Dairy  Boom  and  the  Ice  House  .        .    95 

Reserved  for  one  purpose — No  storage — Daily  cleaning — Windows 
screened — No  direct  entrance  from  the  barn — The  ice  house — 
Supply  of  ice  absolutely  necessary — A  good  spring  only  auxiliary. 

Chapter  XI.     Utensils 97 

The  manufacture,  cleaning,  and  storage  a  factor  in  the  production  of 
milk— A  small  number— The  importance  of  prompt  and  thorough 
cleaning — Sterilization  effected  by  boiling  or  baking — The  dangers 
from  infected  wash  water — Storage  outdoors  to  be  avoided — Sun  ex- 
posure not  practicable— The  narrow-topped  milking  pail  with  a 
cover — Carrying  milk  in  uncovered  pails — The  strainer  cannot 
atone  for  previous  carelessness — Metal  strainer  with  wire  mesh — 
Cloths  and  absorbent  cotton — The  receiving  can  is  the  responsibility 
of  the  dealer— Cleaned  and  sterilized  when  delivered  to  the  farmer 
—Milk  cans  to  be  used  only  for  milk— The  milking  stool. 

Chapter  XII.     The  Bottling  of  Milk       .        .        .        .105 

Bottled  versus  dipped  milk— The  manner  of  bottling— Safeguards 
against  exposure — Bottling  room  isolated,  adapted  to  flushing  and 
steaming,  and  protected  against  dust  and  flies— The  sterilizer- 
Situated  between  the  bottling  room  and  the  wash  room — Used  for 
storage  of  bottles — Persons  bottling  should  be  carefully  selected — 
5 


TABLE      OF      CONTENTS-CONTINUED 


Personal  cleanliness  required — Clean  working  suits — Other  work- 
men barred  from  bottling  room — Capping  and  covering  take  place 
simultaneously  with  filling— The  overflow  from  the  bottling  table — 
Deep  packing  boxes  with  covers — The  cleaning  of  bottles— Steriliza- 
tion necessary— Misuse  of  milk  bottles— Bottling  for_  the  small 
farmer— The  use  of  a  cooler ;  what  it  accomplishes— Aeration  and 
its  questionable  value. 


Chapter  XIII.     The  Opportunity  of  the  Dealer       .        .114 

The  capitalist  of  the  milk  business— His  large  investment— Inter- 
mediary between  producer  and  consumer — The  personal  relation 
between  farmer  and  dealer— The  latter's  power  and  influence  in  a 
dairy  community — His  own  establishment  an  object  lesson  to  his 
farmers — A  model  cow  barn  and  dairy  as  a  school  of  instruction  and 
experiment  station— Hospital  barn  and  quarantine  station — The 
care  of  milk  at  the  country  receiving  station— The  pumping  of  milk 
an  objectionable  feature— A  suggested  remedy— The  receiving  and 
the  bottling  room— The  sterilized  can  and  what  it  makes  possible. 


Chapter  XIV.    Market  Milk 123 

Indifference  of  the  consumers — A  problem  ultimately  for  the  State — 
A  simple  plan  for  improvement — What  it  requires  of  dealer  and 
farmer— The  results  to  be  expected— Disposing  of  the  "animal 
odor  "  bugaboo— The  groundless  fear  of  animal  heat. 

Chapter  XV.     The  Duty  of  the  Consumer      .        .        .128 

The  other  end  of  the  milk  problem— The  adoption  of  esthetic  and 
hygienic  precautions— Safeguards  against  the  conveyance  of  disease 
—Supervision  of  the  family  supply— Public  confidence  in  a  pure 
milk  supply— Proper  acknowledgment  of  the  efforts  of  milk  dealers 
and  farmers— The  production  of  a  bottle  of  clean  milk  and  the  assur- 
ance to  the  consumer— The  encouragement  of  efforts  to  improve  the 
milk  supply— The  progressive  milk  dealer— What  the  extra  price 
means— The  family  physician  and  the  health  officials— The  house- 
keeper's knowledge  of  milk— Milk  as  a  food— What  sours  milk- 
Clean  earth  and  bacterial  dirt— Clarified  milk— Care  of  milk  in  the 
household— The  public  ice-box  in  apartment  houses— Milk  in  a 
separate  compartment — Served  after  the  manner  of  coffee — Pro- 
tected against  flies— The  value  of  pasteurization  and  sterilization — 
The  cleaning  of  milk  vessels— The  milk  bottle— The  great  loss 
suffered  by  milk  dealers— Misuse  of  the  milk  bottle  a  grave  danger 
—Epidemics— Cleaning  the  bottle*— Protecting  the  bottles  against 
contamination. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Drawing  Vie  Foremilk Frontispiece 

PACING  PAGE 

Bacteriological  Analyses  of  Clean  and  Unclean  Milk  .     .  12 

A  Typical  Bad  Ceiling 13 

Farmers  Delivering  Milk  to  the  Shipping  Station    ...  22 

Equipment  for  Distributing  Sanitary  Milk 23 

A  Loft  Barn 36 

The  Daily  Removal  of  Manure 37 

Interior  of  a  Modern  Barn 44 

After  the  Daily  Cleaning 45 

A  Shed  Barn 54 

A  Barn  Superintendent's  Office 55 

Washing  the  Flanks  and  Udder 68 

Part  of  the  Daily  Routine 69 

A  Common  Form  of  Stanchion 72 

Milking  at  a  Modern  Dairy  Farm 73 

Bottling  at  a  Home  Dairy 86 

A  Box  Sterilizer 87 

Steam  Box  for  Sterilizing  Cans 102 

7 


LIST    OF    I  L  L  U  S  T  R  A   TIONS-CONTINUED 

FACING  PAGE 

Cleaning  Cans  at  a  Country  Beceiving  Stition    ....  103 

Sterilizer  in  Use  at  Large  Establishments 118 

Cleaning  Bottles  at  a  Large  Dairy 119 

A  Modern  Bottling  Boom 134 

Filling  Bottles 135 

The  Barn  of  a    Small   Farmer    Who    Made    Certified 

Milk 142 

Hauling  Ice  to  the  Dairy 143 


PREFACE 

BECAUSE  of  the  presence  of  dirt  in 
milk,  bacteriology  becomes  a  neces- 
sary factor  in  the  production  of  milk. 

It  has  been  the  aim  of  the  author  to  set 
forth  practical  methods  for  the  exclusion  of 
bacteria  from  milk.  In  the  following  pages, 
there  is  incorporated  a  system  of  operations 
which  has  been  successful  in  materially  re- 
ducing the  bacterial  contamination  of  milk, 
from  the  moment  it  is  drawn  from  the  cow 
until  it  is  used  by  the  consumer. 

To  the  veterinarian,  the  dairyman,  and  the 
agriculturist  it  is  stated  that  all  intention  of 
invading  their  spheres  of  work  is  disclaimed. 
The  purpose  is  to  render  available  the 
special  knowledge  of  the  bacteriologist  on 
the  ways  of  preventing  contamination,  and 
regarding  this  in  the  light  of  a  common  good 
it  is  hoped  that  these  special  workers  will 
receive  it  in  a  spirit  of  co-operation. 

The  work  in  the  field  which  supplied  tHe 
data  for  the  book  was  performed  under  a 
grant   from   the   Kockefeller  Institute   for 

9 


ft  *  M.  COLLEpf  s**jmnfi 


Clean  Milk 


Medical  Research.  This  work  was  under  the 
direction  and  supervision  of  Dr.  Park  and 
formed  a  part  of  the  movement  for  the  im- 
provement of  New  York  city's  milk  supply, 
conducted  by  Dr.  Park,  with  the  co-operation 
of  the  Rockefeller  Institute  for  Medical  Re- 
search, for  the  Department  of  Health  of  the 
City  of  New  York. 

In  the  performance  of  that  work  and  in  the 
making  of  this  book,  the  author  has  been  at 
all  times  indebted  to  Dr.  Park  for  sugges- 
tions and  criticism,  and  is  glad  of  this  oppor- 
tunity of  making  public  acknowledgment  of 
the  benefit  derived  from  working  under  his 
personal  direction. 

To  the  many  gentlemen  who  courteously 
offered  their  establishments  as  experiment 
stations,  acknowledgment  is  also  due,  and 
to  Walter  W.  Law,  Esq.,  the  proprietor  of 
Briarcliff  Farms,  and  to  Mr.  Loton  Horton, 
the  President  of  the  Sheffield  Farms-Slaw- 
son-Decker  Co.  for  their  interest  and  encour- 
agement during  the  progress  of  the  work. 


10 


INTRODUCTION 

A  PURE  milk  supply  has  ever  been  a 
recognized  desideratum,  and  the  best 
efforts  of  sanitarians  and  public  offi- 
cials have  for  many  years  been  devoted 
toward  its  attainment.  The  universal  use 
of  milk  as  a  food,  and  the  important  place  it 
holds  in  the  diet  of  the  world,  have  justified 
every  effort  toward  rendering  it  available 
and  wholesome  for  human  consumption. 
Heretofore,  the  insistence  on  a  proper  nutri- 
tive value  and  the  prohibition  of  the  use  of 
preservatives  have  been  the  principal  objects 
sought,  but  with  the  development  of  the 
science  of  bacteria,  there  has  arisen  a  new 
and  a  most  important  consideration  concern- 
ing milk.  Good  milk  can  no  longer  be  de- 
cided on  the  ground  that  it  contains  a  re- 
quired percentage  of  solids  and  is  free  from 
deleterious  chemicals,  but  it  must  also  be 
subject  to  the  test  of  bacterial  contamina- 
tion. Since  bacterial  contamination  may  re- 
sult in  the  conveyance  of  infectious  diseases, 
such  as  typhoid,  diphtheria,  scarlet  fever, 

11 


Clean  Milk 


and  tuberculosis,  it  will  be  admitted  that  it 
is  a  factor  deserving  attention. 

By  the  ordinary  observer  impure  milk  is 
recognized  by  its  containing  coarse  dirt,  hair, 
etc.,  which  settles  at  the  bottom  of  the  can 
or  bottle,  also  by  its  sour  taste  or  its  curdling 
when  heated,  and  by  its  emitting  the  odor  of 
decomposition,  But  the  absence  of  all  of 
these  by  no  means  indicates  that  the  milk  is 
pure  or  safe.  Milk  may  be  entirely  unfit  for 
food  when  none  of  these  conditions  are  pres- 
ent, since  the  chief  dangers  in  milk  are  due 
to  the  bacteria  which  it  contains,  and  bac- 
teria are  far  too  small  to  be  seen  by  the 
unaided  eye,  being  among  the  smallest  and 
simplest  of  all  living  things.  They  much 
resemble  the  cells  of  which  plants  are  com- 
posed, and  require  moisture,  warmth,  and 
food  to  grow.  Milk  is  the  only  article  of  food 
in  which  nearly  all  bacteria  grow  rapidly, 
and  in  it  they  multiply  at  a  favorable  temper- 
ature, i.  c,  about  blood  heat,  in  an  almost 
incredible  manner.  From  a  single  germ  as 
many  as  200  may  be  produced  in  three  hours; 

12 


BACTERIOLOGICAL     ANALYSES     OF     CLEAN 
AND     UNCLEAN      MILK. 


Introduction 


10,000  in  six  hours;  10,000,000  in  nine  honrs, 
and  2,000,000,000  in  eighteen  hours.  As  the 
bacteria  grow  and  increase  in  numbers  they 
impair  the  nutritive  properties  of  the  milk, 
and  in  this  way  injure  it  as  a  food,  and,  what 
is  much  more  important,  they  produce  many 
new  substances,  some  of  which  are  poison- 
ous. It  is  the  result  of  the  activities  of  bac- 
teria which  causes  milk  to  sour  and  produces 
in  it  bad  taste  and  odors.  But  long  before 
milk  has  become  sour  to  the  taste,  it  may 
contain  enormous  numbers  of  bacteria  and 
has  usually  become  unwholesome,  and  pro- 
bably a  source  of  great  danger.  The  number 
of  bacteria  which  may  be  found  in  milk  is 
almost  beyond  belief.  This  is  directly  pro- 
portionate to  the  age  of  the  milk,  the  amount 
of  dirt  and  filth  it  contains,  and  the  height 
of  the  temperature  at  which  it  has  been  kept. 
The  number  of  bacteria  is,  therefore,  the  best 
means  of  determining  whether  the  milk  is 
clean  and  fresh  and  whether  it  has  been 
properly  handled,  and  it  tells  with  certainty 
the  story  of  mistakes  or  neglect. 

13 


Clean  Milk 


Where  do  these  bacteria  come  from?  Do 
they  do  any  good?  Do  they  do  any  harm? 
These  are  the  questions  which  are  naturally 
asked.  Most  of  the  bacteria  fortunately  are 
not  those  which  induce  disease.  They  are 
the  bacteria  associated  with  dirt.  They 
come  from  dirty  cows,  stables,  hands,  and 
pails,  the  dust  of  the  stables,  of  the  atmos- 
phere of  the  milk  house  or  creamery  where 
milk  is  mixed  and  bottled.  But  these  dirt 
bacteria  are  not  the  only  ones  which  find 
their  way  into  milk.  The  germs  which  cause 
various  infectious  diseases,  such  as  typhoid 
fever,  scarlet  fever,  tuberculosis,  diphtheria, 
and  mouth  and  foot  disease,  live  and 
rapidly  multiply  in  milk.  Every  year  epi- 
demics occur  which  have  been  traced  to  milk 
contaminated  by  ignorant  or  careless  milk- 
men, who  have  infected  their  milk  from  their 
dirty  hands  or  the  dirty  water,  or  in  other 
careless  ways.  This,  of  course,  is  entirely  un- 
necessary and  can  be  prevented.  The  extent 
of  this  danger  may  be  judged  by  the  fact  that 
two  years  ago  there  was  published  in  one  of 

14 


Introduction 


the  medical  journals  a  report  upon  three 
hundred  and  thirty  outbreaks  of  epidemic 
diseases  traced  to  milk;  one  hundred  and 
ninety-five  of  these  were  epidemics  of  ty- 
phoid fever,  in  one  hundred  and  forty-seven 
of  which  the  disease  prevailed  at  the  dairy 
or  farm;  in  sixty-seven,  it  was  due  to  con- 
tamination of  well-water;  in  twenty-four, 
employees  at  the  farm  were  acting  as 
nurses,  and  in  ten,  they  were  working  while 
still  sick.  There  were  ninety-nine  epi- 
demics of  scarlet  fever,  in  sixty-eight  of 
which  the  source  of  infection  was  traced 
to  the  illness  of  persons  at  the  dairy;  in 
seventeen,  the  employees  were  themselves 
suffering  from  scarlet  fever,  and  in  ten,  they 
were  acting  as  nurses  to  scarlet  fever  pa- 
tients. In  other  cases  the  mode  of  infection 
was  through  the  storage  of  milk  near  in- 
fected rooms,  or  the  poison  was  brought  by 
cans  or  bottles  from  patients'  houses.  There 
were  thirty-six  epidemics  of  diphtheria,  in 
thirteen  of  which  the  disease  existed  at  the 
farm  or  dairy.    When  it  is  remembered  that 

15 


Clean  Milk 


some  of  these  epidemics  have  numbered  hun- 
dreds of  cases  with  many  deaths,  the  great 
importance  of  this  is  apparent  and  the 
amount  of  mischief  which  is  possible  through 
the  neglect  of  a  single  person  seems  ap- 
palling. Most  of  this  harm  results  because 
the  men  who  are  handling  the  milk  are 
entirely  ignorant  of  the  manner  in  which 
milk  becomes  infected,  and  consequently 
fail  to  take  the  simple  precautions  which 
would  be  quite  sufficient  to  prevent  such  a 
calamity. 

In  the  spring  of  1901  it  was  determined  to 
attempt,  through  the  Department  of  Health 
and  other  agencies,  to  improve  the  milk  of 
New  York  city  by  preventing  the  excessive 
and  unnecessary  bacterial  contamination 
then  occurring.  At  the  same  time,  through 
funds  supplied  by  the  Rockefeller  Institute 
for  Medical  Research,  physicians  were  ap- 
pointed to  study  carefully  the  influence  upon 
the  health  of  infants  of  the  filth  bacteria  and 
the  bacterial  products  existing  in  the  milk 
ordinarily  consumed  in  New  York  city.    In 

16 


Introduction 


addition,  Dr.  Belcher,  who  had  already  be- 
come greatly  interested  in  the  bacterial  side 
of  the  milk  problem,  was  authorized  to  con- 
duct an  investigation  at  the  sources  of  pro- 
duction. This  meant  practically  the  trans- 
porting of  a  laboratory  to  dairy  farms  and 
creamery  buildings  and  the  performance  of 
scientific  labor  amid  the  actual  conditions 
attending  the  production  of  milk.  In  the 
two  years  devoted  to  this  task,  thousands  of 
experiments  were  made  and  every  detail  of 
milk  production  subjected  to  exhaustive  and 
critical  study  and  examination.  The  results 
of  this  research  were  placed  at  the  service  of 
farmers  and  milkmen,  and  it  is  gratifying 
to  record  that  in  many  instances  these  busi- 
ness men  hastened  to  adopt  precautions 
against  contamination.  In  a  spirit  of  co- 
operation, the  dairy  farmer,  the  city  dealer, 
and  the  bacteriologist  joined  forces  in  an 
effort  to  produce  milk  free  from  serious  bac- 
terial defilement.  Dr.  Belcher's  method  was 
the  aseptic,  as  opposed  to  the  antiseptic;  the 
insistence  upon  cleanliness,  barns  free  from 

17 


Clean  Milk 


dust,  cows  without  dirt  upon  their  bodies, 
utensils  sterilized,  milkers  washed  and  clad 
in  clean  garments;  these  requirements  and 
effective  cooling  sufficing  to  produce,  at 
moderate  cost,  a  food  article  known  to  be 
safe  and  wholesome. 

The  practicability  and  the  commercial 
value  of  such  a  system  of  milk  production 
has  not  been  without  demonstration.  The 
dealers  and  dairy  farmers,  who  under  the 
supervision  of  Dr.  Belcher  introduced  the 
aseptic  method  and  produced  milk  with  re- 
duced bacterial  contamination,  received  cer- 
tification from  the  Milk  Commission  of  the 
County  Medical  Society  and  their  product  be- 
came known  as  "  Certified  Milk." 

This  superior  milk  found  a  ready  sale,  and 
the  increasing  demand  for  it  is  a  hopeful  in- 
dication that  the  public  will  make  due  ac- 
knowledgment of  the  efforts  of  progressive 
farmers  and  dealers.  The  public  may  rest  as- 
sured that  just  as  much  clean,  wholesome 
milk  will  be  produced  as  can  be  sold,  but  a 
general  appreciation  of  the  difference  be- 

18 


Introduction 


tween  good  and  bad  milk  and  a  demand  for 
improvement  must  come  first. 

In  the  general  solution  of  the  milk 
problem  in  large  cities,  some  help  may  come 
through  legislation.  Certainly  the  Health 
Department  of  the  State  and  city  should  be 
given  the  right  to  inspect  farms  and  demand 
those  things  which  are  necessary  in  order  to 
produce  a  wholesome  milk  and  to  exclude 
contagious  disease.  Sufficient  improve- 
ments, however,  are  not  to  be  brought  about 
by  compulsion  of  the  dealers,  but  by  educat- 
ing them  up  to  the  point  of  voluntarily  doing 
better  work.  It  is  to  the  co-operation  of  the 
dealers  and  farmers  that  we  must  look  for 
an  absolutely  pure  milk  supply,  and  behind 
all  this  must  be  a  public  appreciation  of  good 
milk. 

One  of  the  most  valuable  results  of  Dr. 
Belcher's  work  has  been  to  bring  about  in 
the  dealers  a  new  feeling  of  proper  responsi- 
bility to  the  farmers  and  to  the  public.  Many 
of  them  are  convinced  of  their  ability  to  aid 
in  giving  the  public  pure  milk,  and  they  have 

19 


Clean  Milk 


co-operated  in  a  most  commendable  manner. 
Some  of  the  dealers  have  built  ice  houses  and 
have  supplied  ice  to  farmers  who  could  not 
afford  it,  and  they  have  in  every  way  encour- 
aged the  farmers  to  improve  their  barns  and 
have  furnished  them  with  materials  which 
made  these  things  possible.  Their  co-opera- 
tion is  a  very  important  factor  in  any  move- 
ment to  secure  pure  milk,  because  as  the  cap- 
italists they  are  in  a  position  to  carry  out 
improvements  both  at  the  farms,  the  cream- 
eries, during  transportation,  and  in  the  local 
deliveries  of  milk.  In  order  that  farmers 
might  not  be  tempted  to  mix  the  milk  from 
cows  which  appear,  in  any  way,  to  be  sick, 
with  the  rest  of  their  milk,  some  of  the 
dealers  paid  the  farmers  full  price  for  the 
milk  from  sick  cows  and  had  it  thrown  away. 
To  avoid  the  danger  of  spreading  contagious 
disease  through  their  milk,  they  have  en- 
couraged the  farmers  to  report  any  instance 
of  such  disease  in  their  employees  or  fami- 
lies and  have  provided  for  the  handling  of 
milk  by  others  during  the  period  of  illness. 

20 


Introduction 


Great  improvements  in  transportation  are 
possible  and  here  the  railroads  should  be 
made  to  feel  their  responsibility  to  the  pub- 
lic. They  should  do  all  in  their  power  to 
make  it  easy,  not  only  for  the  large  dealers 
but  for  the  individual  farmers,  to  ship  milk 
under  suitable  conditions,  and  they  should 
try  to  arrange  their  schedules  so  that  milk 
can  be  delivered  in  New  York  in  such  a  con- 
dition as  not  to  be  a  menace  to  public  health. 
The  New  York  Health  Department  has 
already  made  a  rule  that  no  milk  shall  be 
delivered  in  the  city  the  temperature  of 
which  stands  over  50°  F.  If  enforced,  this 
will  insure  proper  icing  of  milk  on  all  cars, 
and  the  rule  will  be  enforced  if  the  people 
who  consume  milk  will  give  the  officials  their 
moral  support. 

Milk  certification  at  the  present  time 
promises  a  solution  of  some  of  the  difficul- 
ties. It  seems  to  be  necessary  to  have  a 
third  party,  composed  of  some  body  of  per- 
sons who  stands  between  the  dealers  and  the 
public,  and  who  are  able  to  give  an  assur- 

21 


Clean  Milk 


ance  to  the  public  that  milk  has  been 
handled  and  produced  under  proper  hygienic 
conditions.  Such  an  assurance  is  now  pro- 
vided in  certificates  issued  in  several  of  the 
larger  cities.  In  New  York  this  certificate 
is  given  by  the  County  Medical  Society.  This 
society  has  appointed  a  commission  to  pass 
upon  the  milk  supplied  by  the  different  deal- 
ers. The  commission  is  composed  of  profes- 
sional men  of  the  highest  standing,  who  with 
the  reports  furnished  by  the  inspector  and 
the  bacteriologist  are  qualified  to  judge. 

The  greatest  force  in  the  attainment  of  an 
improved  milk  supply,  however,  rests  in  pub- 
lic opinion.  It  is  for  the  consumers  in  gen- 
eral and  the  leaders  of  the  community  in  par- 
ticular to  decide  this  problem  of  pure  food. 
The  milk  dealers  are  ready  and  eager  to  put 
on  sale  a  better  commodity,  just  as  soon  as 
there  is  a  demand,  and  it  remains  for  the 
physicians,  the  directors  of  hospitals  and 
other  institutions,  the  teachers  of  domestic 
economy,  and  philanthropic  men  and  wo- 
men to  encourage  the  good  work.    There  is 

22 


Introduction 


need  for  an  educational  movement  advocat- 
ing an  additional  payment  in  return  for  the 
observance  of  proper  hygienic  and  esthetic 
precautions,  and  it  should  not  be  forgotten 
that  the  improvement  of  the  milk  used  by 
those  who  live  in  comfort  and  luxury  tends 
to  the  betterment  of  that  served  to  the  poor. 

THE  TRANSPORTATION  OF  MILK. 

The  great  distance  from  which  milk  is  now 
brought  to  New  York  is  hardly  appreciated 
by  the  public.  On  the  north,  farmers  send 
milk  almost  from  the  Canadian  border,  and 
on  the  west  from  almost  as  far  as  Buffalo. 
When  milk  was  consumed  on  the  farm  or 
delivered  to  a  neighboring  town,  simple  pre- 
cautions sufficed  to  supply  a  fairly  whole- 
some milk,  but  now  that  distances  have  be- 
come so  great,  much  more  care  and  thought 
must  be  given  to  its  collection  and  transpor- 
tation. The  railroads  bringing  milk  to  New 
York  designate  two  forms  of  milk  trains — 
the  long  haul  trains,  transporting  milk  one 
hundred  and  fifty  to  three  hundred  miles, 

23 


Clean  Milk 


and  short  haul  trains  transporting  it  only 
from  fifty  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles. 
One  would  naturally  expect  that  the  rail- 
roads would  endeavor  to  bring  the  milk  to 
the  city  in  the  very  best  possible  condition. 
While  this  is  true  of  some  of  the  railroads  it 
is  not  true  of  others.  Some  seem  to  assume 
that  all  they  need  to  do  is  to  get  the  milk 
to  New  York  in  a  salable  condition.  If  the 
milk  is  transported  very  long  distances 
great  precautions  are  taken  to  preserve  it, 
while  if  transported  from  adjacent  counties 
hardly  any  attention  at  all  is  paid  to  it.  Thus 
it  comes  about  that  some  of  the  very  worst 
milk  delivered  in  New  York  is  milk  brought 
from  the  nearest  places. 

In  the  summer  of  1901,  the  writer  noticed 
that  an  ordinary  freight  car  was  left  by  the 
morning  train  on  a  siding  about  eighty  miles 
from  New  York  city,  to  receive  the  milk  of  a 
number  of  separate  farms  from  the  adjacent 
country.  The  day  was  the  second  of  July, 
when  the  mercury  ranged  from  85°  to  98*. 
At  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  far- 

24 


Introduction 


mers  began  to  drive  up  with  their  cans  of 
milk.  They  themselves  had  to  drive  from 
three  to  six  miles  in  the  hot  sun,  and  so  de- 
livered the  milk  already  warmed  considera- 
bly above  the  point  at  which  they  had  taken 
it  from  their  springs.  From  three  to  five 
o'clock,  the  cans  of  milk  were  standing  in  the 
car  without  ice,  the  thermometer  in  the  car 
registering  98°.  At  five  o'clock  the  car  was 
attached  to  the  train  drawn  to  New  York, 
and  the  milk  delivered  on  the  platform, 
never  having  been  cooled  in  any  way  during 
its  transit. 

The  example  cited  is  not  an  isolated  one, 
for  similar  conditions  were  found  at  other 
stations  on  this  road.  From  the  observa- 
tions made  last  summer,  it  appeared  that 
fully  10  per  cent,  of  the  milk  carried  by  this 
road  during  the  hottest  months  was  never 
iced-  at  all  during  transportation,  and  much 
more  was  iced  but  very  slightly.  Milk  han- 
dled in  this  way  in  hot  weather  is  often  so 
changed  that  it  is  unfit  to  be  sold,  and  is  re- 
fused by  the  dealers.    When,  however,  the 

25 


Glean  Milk 


changes  have  not  gone  far  enough  to  render 
it  unsalable  it  is  delivered  to  the  groceries 
and  sold  by  them  to  their  customers.  The 
officials  said  that  the  individual  farmers 
were  responsible,  as  they  should  have  iced 
their  milk,  while  the  farmers  said  as  individ- 
uals it  was  impracticable  for  them  to 
properly  ice  their  milk,  as  they  were  only 
provided  with  an  ordinary  freight  car  which 
was  allowed  to  stand  out  in  the  hot  sun  in 
the  middle  of  the  afternoon.  On  the  same 
siding,  in  marked  contrast  to  the  car  above 
described,  was  the  milk  car  of  one  of  the  New 
York  dealers,  which  was  not  an  ordinary 
freight  car,  but  one  made  for  the  purpose  of 
transporting  milk.  This  dealer,  taking  his 
milk  directly  from  the  creamery,  placed  it  in 
the  car  with  about  three  tons  of  ice.  His 
milk  was  thus  transported  to  New  York  in  a 
thoroughly  cooled  condition. 

The  manner  of  local  delivery  of  milk  is 
also  important.  Most  of  the  railroads  de- 
posit their  milk  upon  the  station  platforms 
between  11  and  12  p.  if.     Here  much  of  it 

26 


Introduction 


remains  until  4  or  5  A.  m.  before  it  is  collected 
by  the  delivery  wagons.  Many  of  these 
wagons  use  no  ice,  and  even  milk  which  is 
properly  cooled  when  it  arrives,  may  become 
in  this  time  so  warm  as  to  be  greatly  injured 
by  active  fermentation  which  such  a  temper- 
ature induces.  Both  the  railroad  transpor- 
tation and  local  delivery  can  be  accom- 
plished with  much  less  danger  of  contamina- 
tion if  the  milk  is  placed  in  sealed  bottles 
at  the  creamery.  This  is  the  best  method 
if  only  the  bottles  themselves  have  been 
properly  sterilized. 

William  Hallock  Park,  M.D. 


Research  Laboratory  of  the  Department 
of  Health  of  the  City  of  New  York. 


V 


THE     COW     YARD     AND 
THE        PASTURE 

CHAPTER  I. 

THE  visitor  to  a  dairy  farm,  seeking  a 
knowledge  of  the  conditions  there 
and  the  methods  in  operation,  would 
naturally  come  upon  them  in  a  certain  order 
of  precedence.  The  first  thing  would  be  the 
pasture  lands  and  the  grounds  immediate  to 
the  cow  stables  and  the  dairy  house.  An 
observation  of  these  would  be  followed  by  a 
study  of  the  buildings,  their  construction  and 
equipment;  then  the  herd,  the  workers,  and 
the  utensils.  Once  the  milking  began,  the 
milk  would  be  followed  through  all  its  va- 
rious handlings.  An  order  similar  to  this 
has  been  adopted  in  this  book.  Starting  with 
the  cow  yard  as  the  first  factor  in  the  con- 
tamination of  milk,  the  other  component 
parts  of  the  establishment  are  taken  in  the 
order  in  which  a  visitor  would  usually  meet 
them. 

It  is  a  common  dream  picture,  that  of  a 
cow  barn  perched  on  a  grassy  knoll,  and  the 

28 


The  Cow  Yard  and  Pasture 


herd  turned  out  to  pasture  in  broad,  open 
fields  of  greensward  stretching  away  from 
the  door  of  the  building,  but  beautiful  and 
visionary  as  this  may  appear  in  the  books,  it 
is  not  so  uncommon  a  realization. 

In  the  Delaware  Valley,  in  the  State  of 
New  York,  the  usual  plan  of  a  dairy  farm 
locates  the  cow  barn  in  one  corner  of  a  half- 
acre  lot,  into  which,  after  milking,  the  herd 
is  turned,  thence  to  wend  its  way  to  the 
broader  upland  pastures.  At  modern  pro- 
gressive establishments  the  field  surround- 
ing or  adjacent  to  the  cow  barn  where  the 
herd  collects  at  milking  time  is  always  large 
and  spacious,  so  that  it  may  with  justice  be 
claimed  that  the  cows  pass  directly  from  the 
pasture  to  their  stalls. 

Providing  adequate  pasture  and  an  ample 
enclosure  for  the  cows  to  collect  in,  an  enclo- 
sure which  will  answer  as  an  exercise  ground 
in  winter,  means  that  the  farmer  has  done 
much  toward  the  cleanliness  of  his  cows.  It 
is  a  general  observation  that  in  summer, 
when  the  cows  are  outdoors  day  and  night, 

29 


Clean  Milk 


they  are  clean,  and  through  no  exertion  of 
the  herdsman. 

The  reason  for  this  is  simple,  and  must  be 
evident  to  any  one  after  a  moment's  thought. 
The  cow,  naturally  a  cleanly  animal,  avoids 
pollution  if  she  can,  and  when  at  liberty  in 
the  fields  not  only  does  so,  but  carefully 
grooms  her  own  body.  It  is  only  when  the 
cow  is  treated  like  a  pig  or  tied  down  like  a 
prisoner  in  a  loathsome  dungeon  that  she 
becomes  dirty.  Nobody  asks  the  farmer  to 
clean  his  cows;  they  themselves  will  do  that 
if  given  half  a  chance;  but  he  should  play 
fair  with  them,  not  lead  them  into  a  muddy, 
filthy  yard,  where  each  step  splashes  manure 
half  way  up  their  flanks,  or  pen  them  in  a 
space  only  large  enough  for  a  sow  and  her 
litter. 

The  practise  of  enclosing  cows  in  the  space 
between  two  wings  of  a  barn,  or  in  a  narrow 
yard  formed  by  a  fence  around  three  sides 
of  a  building,  is  responsible  for  so  much 
defilement  of  cows  that  for  his  own  advan- 
tage, pecuniary  and  otherwise,  a  dairy  far- 

30 


The  Coio  Yard  and  Pasture 


mer  should  abandon  it  and  provide  a  large 
field  connecting  with  the  cow  barn,  and  spa- 
cious enough,  first,  to  be  used  as  a  gathering 
place  at  milking  time,  and  in  winter,  as  an 
exercise  ground,  and,  secondly,  to  give  the 
animals  a  fair  chance  to  keep  clean.  This 
large  field  has  so  much  to  do  with  the  clean- 
liness of  the  herd  that  it  will  surely  be  re- 
quired, when  dairy  farmers  are  licensed  by 
the  State. 

If  a  man  will  not  dispense  with  the  small 
enclosure,  at  least  he  should  keep  it  in  a  san- 
itary condition,  so  that  not  only  the  herd,  but 
also  the  members  of  his  family,  may  cross  it 
without  suffering  contamination.  Such  a 
place  is  usually  a  quagmire,  boasting  of 
sundry  pools  due  to  defective  drainage  or 
formed  by  the  overflow  from  the  water 
trough,  with  manure  lying  scattered  about  or 
gathered  in  a  huge  heap,  all  of  which  attract 
flies,  which,  besides  a  great  irritation  to 
cows,  are,  with  milk  and  water,  the  chief  car- 
riers of  typhoid.  Across  this  strong-smelling 
area  warm  milk  in  uncovered  pails  will  be 

31 


Clean  Milk 


carried,  and  this  exposure  and  the  exposure 
to  manure  in  the  stalls  is  a  source  of  the  so- 
called  "animal  odor,"  supposed  by  dairy 
farmers  to  be  a  characteristic  of  fresh  milk. 

A  soft  and  muddy  surface  should  be 
drained,  the  pools  filled  in,  and  a  new  surface 
made  with  firm,  hard  material,  such  as  a  man 
uses  to  make  the  paths  around  his  house. 
Some  material  is  usually  available,  and  at 
moderate  cost — crushed  stone,  gravel,  sand, 
or  the  ashes  from  the  furnace  or  the  stove. 
Some  farmers  cover  the  yard  with  a  mate- 
rial which,  being  useful  as  a  fertilizer,  can 
be  gathered  up  with  the  manure,  when  the 
cow  yard  is  cleaned. 

The  evils  of  a  bad  cow  yard  will  sometimes 
be  reproduced  in  a  pasture  lot.  Constant 
use  has  destroyed  the  turf,  and  the  surface 
becomes  so  trampled  and  cut  up  that  the  field 
is  little  better  than  a  muddy  yard,  resulting 
in  a  defilement  of  the  cows,  which  could  be 
avoided  by  changing  the  pasture  frequently. 


32 


MANURE 

CHAPTER  II. 

MANUEE  at  a  dairy  farm  is  unavoid- 
able, but  the  evil  of  its  presence  can 
be  minimized.    Admittedly  the  chief 
obstacle  in  the  securing  of  clean  milk,  the 
objections  to  it  need  hardly  be  stated. 

It  is  one  of  the  causes  of  the  "  animal 
odor,"  to  remove  which  farmers  aerate  so 
conscientiously;  it  pollutes  the  premises, 
attracts  flies,  offers  a  breeding  place  for 
germs,  and  is  a  serious  inconvenience  when 
women  of  the  family  do  the  milking.  By  its 
very  nature  it  is  the  most  offensive  contam- 
ination, and  the  mere  proximity,  not  to  men- 
tion actual  presence  of  it  in  milk,  should  ren- 
der abhorent  that  fluid  as  an  article  of  food. 
Although  the  dairy  farmers  to  a  man  recog- 
nize this  and  each  stoutly  maintains  that  his 
milk  is  free  from  it,  yet  in  how  many  cases 
are  the  precautions  against  it  woefully  inad- 
equate? Its  value  as  a  fertilizer  has  compli- 
cated the  problem  of  keeping  it  out  of  milk. 
In  order  to  collect  it,  the  farmer  carefully 

33 


Clean  Milk 


accumulates  it  in  a  manure  "  gutter  "  until 
the  gutter  and  its  contents  are  ready  to  over- 
flow, when  he  pitches  it  out  of  the  barn  win- 
dow, to  form  for  months  a  small  mountain  of 
putrid  matter,  and  not  until  the  summer 
boarders  are  due  to  arrive  is  it  carted  away 
to  the  fields. 

In  the  interests  of  public  decency,  for  the 
betterment  of  the  product  he  sells,  and  from 
a  sense  of  pride  in  using  cleanly  methods,  the 
farmer  should  guard  against  manure  defiling 
his  milk.  It  is  not  a  difficult,  costly,  or  com- 
plicated undertaking,  and  if  he  practises  the 
maxim  "  An  ounce  of  prevention  is  worth  a 
pound  of  cure,"  he  will  find  the  manure  prob- 
lem solving  itself. 

Much  can  be  done  by  providing  an  ade- 
quate cow  yard  and  by  the  use  of  an  effective 
stanchion  in  a  suitable  stall.  These  would 
insure  the  cleanliness  of  the  cows.  Then 
there  is  the  removal  of  manure  and  its 
proper  storage. 

Manure  ought  to  be  removed  from  the 
stalls  at  least  once  a  day,  but  preferably 

34 


Manure 


before  each  milking,  and  when  the  farmer 
handles  manure  let  him  dispose  of  it  once 
and  for  all.  With  the  same  time  and  labor 
he  expends  in  drawing  the  daily  droppings 
into  the  gutter  he  could  just  as  well  shovel 
them  into  a  wheelbarrow  (preferably  water- 
tight, in  order  to  prevent  dripping  and  loss 
of  the  urine),  and  empty  this,  not  just  outside 
the  door,  but  in  the  adjoining  field,  or  at  least 
at  a  safe  distance  from  any  building  forming 
part  of  the  dairy  or  the  home.  This  method 
of  field  storage  is  already  in  use  to  some 
extent,  the  manure  being  stacked  beneath  a 
cover  on  posts,  but  in  the  case  of  this  shed 
there  should  be  left  room  between  the  top 
of  the  pile  and  the  cover  of  the  shed  for  the 
circulation  of  air. 

The  best  disposal  of  manure,  and  that 
which  is  practised  at  dairy  farms  where  mod- 
ern methods  are  in  use,  is  to  cart  it  to  the 
fields  daily.  This  not  only  means  one  han- 
dling, but  it  places  the  stuff  where  it  ceases 
to  be  obnoxious  and  becomes  of  use  as  a  fer- 
tilizer.   In  the  removal  of  manure  a  metal 

35 


Clean  Milk 


watertight  cart,  such  as  is  used  by  street 
cleaners,  is  suggested  as  a  good  vehicle,  pre- 
venting dripping  and  also  capable  of  being 
more  easily  cleaned  than  a  wooden  one. 


36 


THECOW      BARN 

CHAPTER  III. — IN  GENERAL. 

WHEN  the  farmer,  on  the  approach  of 
winter,  puts  his  herd  indoors  to  af- 
ford them  shelter  against  the  cold 
and  stormy  weather,  he  exposes  them,  in  all 
too  many  cases,  to  dangers  hardly  less  fatal. 
Even  when  there  is  a  building  which  may  be 
truthfully  and  accurately  described  as  a  cow 
barn,  it  is  seldom  designed  and  constructed 
to  suit  the  peculiar  needs  of  dairy  cattle, 
while  in  the  vast  majority  of  instances  the 
winter  quarters  of  the  herd  are  in  a  combin- 
ation structure  used  for  feed  storage,  horse 
stable,  wagon  barn,  and  general  rubbish  dis- 
posal. Furthermore,  in  such  a  building  the 
herd  will  be  allotted  the  worst  place,  usually 
the  basement  or  ground  floor,  where,  beneath 
a  low  ceiling  and  with  scant  window  space, 
they  must  live  for  months,  breathing  poison- 
ous air  and  subjected  to  the  noise  and  dis- 
turbance made  by  the  other  occupants  of  the 
building.  For  animals  whom  nature  in- 
tended to  wander  at  will  in  the  peace  and 

32! 


Clean  Milk 


quiet  of  the  open  fields  no  more  cruel  treat- 
ment in  the  guise  of  intended  kindness  could 
be  devised,  nor  could  the  dairy  farmer's 
worst  enemy  concoct  a  scheme  more  injuri- 
ous to  his  pocketbook.  The  dairy  should  be 
both  his  pride  and  profit;  the  animals  repre- 
sent a  large  investment,  and  are  usually  his 
most  valuable  possession;  their  yield  of  milk 
and  butter  and  the  calves  they  bear  form  his 
principal  source  of  income.  Whether  a  herd 
is  profitable  or  not  depends  on  the  general 
well  being  of  the  animals,  and  yet  in  so  im- 
portant a  factor  as  the  cow  stable  are  so 
many  farmers  wilfully  negligent  or  indiffer- 
ent. They  well  know  that  the  cow  is  not  a 
tough  and  rugged  animal,  but  a  tender  and 
sensitive  one,  easily  affected  by  surrounding 
conditions,  and  wonderfully  responsive  to 
good  or  bad  treatment.  Granted  that  cows 
should  be  housed  during  cold  weather,  it 
seems  only  reasonable  to  demand  that  during 
the  period  indoors  they  should  not  be 
deprived  of  the  necessities  of  a  healthy  exis- 
tence.   When  outdoors  the  cows  have  suffi- 

38 


The  Cow  Barn 


cient  light  and  air,  an  opportunity  for  needed 
exercise,  and  the  liberty  to  keep  clean,  and 
these  things  must  be  provided  during  the 
stay  indoors  if  the  farmer  would  do  justice 
to  his  herd  and  at  the  same  time  swell  his 
pocketbook  to  its  proper  thickness. 

The  specifications  for  a  cow  barn  must 
come  from  the  experts  in  that  branch  of 
architecture,  but  in  the  interests  of  clean 
milk,  which  are  identical  with  the  interests 
of  dairying  in  general,  some  ideas  about  the 
construction  may  be  advanced.  In  the  first 
place  the  building  should  be  designed,  con- 
structed, and  used  solely  and  entirely  as  a 
stable  for  dairy  cattle;  it  should  not  be  used 
as  a  storage  place  for  feed,  vehicles,  or  uten- 
sils, nor  as  a  stable  for  other  animals.  This 
singleness  of  purpose  means  that  the  needs 
of  the  cow  will  be  the  principal  considera- 
tion, and  these  needs,  important  though  they 
be,  call  for  no  grand  or  complicated  struc- 
ture. The  cow  barn  should  be  practically  a 
shed,  with  a  continuous  row  of  windows  in 
the  side  walls  and  a  Monitor  skylight  in  the 


Clean  Milk 


roof,  extending  the  entire  length  of  the  build- 
ing. This  form  of  structure  insures  an  abun- 
dance of  light  and  air,  and  means  a  reduced 
dirt  surface  and  consequently  less  cleaning, 
while  its  small  cost  and  ease  of  construction 
make  it  feasible  for  even  the  poorest  farmer. 
It  also  encourages  the  practise  of  small  herds 
in  separate  buildings,  and  is  likely  to  secure 
more  spacious  stalls  for  individual  cows.  As 
against  the  tenement  house  style  of  barn, 
the  shed  means  that  a  farmer's  eggs  are  not 
all  in  one  basket.  In  case  of  fire  or  wind 
storm  all  his  possessions  are  not  imperiled 
through  being  under  one  roof.  Such  a  build- 
ing practically  solves  the  problems  of  light, 
air,  and  ventilation.  The  glass  area  insures 
a  well-lighted  interior,  the  Monitor  skylight 
contributes  light  and  also  provides  an  outlet 
for  the  warm,  stale  air,  while  a  supply  of 
fresh  air  is  pouring  in  through  cracks  and 
openings  which  are  innumerable  in  a  build- 
ing constructed  after  the  common  style  of  a 
barn.  Airtight  construction  is  not  needed  in 
a  cow  barn,  for  it  is  a  great  mistake  to  keep 

40 


The  Cow  Bam 


dairy  cattle  in  a  hothouse  temperature.  A 
herd  of  cows  in  a  loosely  built  shed  will 
thrive  better  in  the  coldest  weather  than  if 
maintained  in  a  tightly  built,  steam-heated 
barn,  with  an  elaborate  scheme  for  ventila- 
tion and  the  regulation  of  temperature. 

The  shed  style  of  barn,  from  its  simplicity, 
means  small  cost  and  a  greater  facility  of 
construction,  things  which  should  induce 
farmers  to  break  up  the  great  herds  stabled 
in  one  building  and  adopt  instead  the  custom 
of  small  herds  isolated  in  separate  barns. 
Further,  its  skeleton  interior  construction 
and  the  absence  of  a  ceiling  mean  a  greatly 
diminished  dust  surface.  There  will  be  no 
dust  sifting  from  the  lofts  above,  which 
means  a  decrease  in  the  amount  of  dirt  in  the 
cow  barn,  and  this  helps  toward  the  general 
cleanliness  of  the  place  itself,  the  animals 
therein,  and  the  milk  there  exposed. 

A  cow  barn  should  be  designed  for  a  small 
herd,  perhaps  twenty,  and  it  is  preferable, 
whenever  possible,  that  they  be  stalled  in  a 
single  line.    This  arrangement  of  stalls  has 

41 


Clean  Milk 


advantages  which  should  recommend  it  to 
dairy  farmers  who  believe  in  having  the  very 
best,  if  it  does  cost  a  little  more.  It  is  pat- 
terned after  the  pavilion  system  which  is  fol- 
lowed in  constructing  modern  hospitals,  and 
what  is  beneficial  in  the  matter  of  light  and 
air  for  human  beings  in  illness  may  safely 
and  advantageously  be  provided  for  dairy 
cattle,  especially  the  breeds  whose  tendency 
to  disease  and  disablement  is  in  direct  ratio 
with  their  value.  The  single  line  barn  pro- 
vides a  maximum  of  light  and  air  of  the 
purest  kind  for  each  animal,  it  makes  pos- 
sible a  thorough  sun  exposure  of  the  interior, 
and  the  hygienic  value  of  these  two  factors 
in  a  dwelling,  whether  for  humans  or  dairy 
cattle,  cannot  be  overestimated.  The  double 
line  of  stalls,  however,  will  appeal  more  fa- 
vorably to  most  farmers,  and  in  connection 
with  this  plan  it  is  recommended  that  the 
cows  be  stalled  tail  to  tail.  This  reduces  the 
chance  of  infection  by  coughing  across,  and 
also  places  the  heads  to  the  windows,  there- 
by affording  a  better  supply  of  pure  air. 

42 


The  Coiv  Bam 


All  interior  construction,  such  as  the  roof 
supports  and  the  stalls,  should  be  on  the 
skeleton  order,  because  of  the  advantage  de- 
rived from  a  reduced  dust  surface,  the 
greater  ease  in  cleaning,  and  the  absence  of 
anything  like  partitions  to  stop  the  circula- 
tion of  air. 

THE  FLOOR. 

Cement  is  the  best  material  for  a  floor. 

It  is  more  durable  than  wood,  and  does 
not  offer  cracks  and  crevices  for  the  deposit 
of  dust,  is  more  readily  and  thoroughly 
cleaned,  since  it  is  adapted  to  flushing  with  a 
hose,  and  has  the  great  advantage  of  adapt- 
ability to  draining.  For  those  who  consider  it 
too  hard  for  the  cows  to  stand  or  lie  upon, 
the  suggestion  is  made  of  providing  wooden 
flooring  for  the  stalls.  This  question  of  stall 
flooring  is  fully  discussed  later  under  the 
remarks  on  the  stalls. 

In  laying  the  floor  provision  should  be 
made  for  a  slope  away  from  the  rear  of  the 
stalls  and  the  construction  of  a  urine  gutter. 

43 


Clean  Milk 


It  is  earnestly  advised  that  there  be  no 
manure  gutter,  but,  instead,  a  practical,  use- 
ful urine  gutter. 

The  manure  gutter  usually  amounts  to  a 
dirty,  ill-smelling  hole  in  the  floor,  as  it  sel- 
dom accomplishes  its  intended  purpose  and 
is  of  service  only  to  the  man  who  removes 
the  manure,  when  he  must  take  a  day  off  to 
do  so.  It  does  not  deserve  the  name  of  gut- 
ter, for  it  fails  to  carry  off  the  contents; 
neither  does  it  facilitate  the  separation  of 
the  manure  and  urine  and  the  collecting  of 
the  latter.  Moreover  it  is  a  rare  thing  to 
find  a  cow  and  a  stall  fitting  so  exactly  that 
the  droppings  fall  directly  into  the  gutter; 
usually  they  fall  on  either  side  of  it,  so  the 
abolishment  of  the  manure  gutter  would  be 
only  a  slight  change  of  actual  conditions, 
while  the  substitution  of  a  wheelbarrow  in 
place  of  the  gutter  as  a  temporary  storage 
place  would  be  an  improvement  in  the  mat- 
ter of  cleanliness,  and  count  toward  the 
prevention  of  an  offensive  odor  in  the  milk. 

The  urine  gutter,  on  the  contrary,  is  use- 

44 


The  Cow  Bam 


ful  and  necessary,  and  can  readily  be  made 
to  accomplish  its  intended  purpose,  which  is 
to  facilitate  the  separation  of  urine  and  its 
collection,  to  become  available  as  a  fer- 
tilizer. 

In  building  the  urine  gutter  suggestion  is 
made  of  laying  the  floor  after  the  plan  used 
for  city  streets,  which  slope  from  the  center 
toward  the  sidewalks,  where  the  curb  forms 
a  gutter,  which  is  pitched  lengthwise.  As  a 
result,  the  rain  first  flows  toward  the  gutter 
and  then  follows  it  to  the  catch  basin  at  the 
intersection  of  the  two  thoroughfares.  In  a 
similar  way  the  urine  could  be  carried  off. 
With  the  floor  sloping  from  the  rear  of  the 
stalls,  the  urine  will  naturally  flow  toward 
the  base  of  the  slope,  where  it  runs  into  the 
gutter  and  follows  the  pitch  of  this  to  a 
trap  or  catch  basin  connecting  with  a 
cistern. 

THE   SIDINGS — LIGHT  IN  A   BARN  AND 
TUBERCULOSIS. 

The   interior   surface   of   the   side   walls 

45 


Clean  Milk 


should  be  smooth  and  of  a  material  such  as 
plaster,  adaptable  to  a  light  color. 

The  smoothness  is  of  value,  as  it  offers  a 
difficult  lodgment  for  dust,  and  a  diminu- 
tion of  dust  deposit  means  not  only  less 
necessary  cleaning,  but  a  reduced  chance  of 
infection,  inasmuch  as  dust  in  the  air  is  the 
principal  conveyor  of  dried  sputum,  which 
may  contain  the  tubercle  bacilli. 

The  light  color  is  a  way  of  increasing  the 
light  in  a  barn,  and  the  need  of  light  is  so 
great  that  the  owner  of  dairy  cattle  cannot 
afford  to  neglect  any  means  of  supplying  it. 
Its  value  comes  home  to  him  if  he  remem- 
bers that  there  is  a  definite  inverse  ratio 
between  the  amount  of  light  in  the  stable 
and  the  spread  of  tuberculosis  among  the 
cattle  therein,  and  aside  from  the  fact  that 
the  danger  of  infection  by  one  tuberculous 
cow  of  the  entire  herd  is  lessened,  there  is 
the  consideration  of  the  general  health  of 
the  animals,  which  is  admittedly  better 
maintained  in  a  light  stable. 

The  principal  and  often  the  only  source  of 

46 


The  Cow  Bam 


light  is  the  windows  in  the  sidings,  and  it 
moves  the  beholder  to  pity  that  in  so  many 
barns  they  resemble  the  loop-holes  in  a  rev- 
olutionary fortress.  No  one  asks  the  farmer 
to  build  a  cow  barn  of  glass,  as  the  gardener 
builds  his  hothouse,  but  he  might  with 
profit  take  a  point  or  two  from  the  methods 
of  the  gardener.  In  his  conservatory  the 
gardener  tries  to  reproduce  artificially  the 
conditions  of  nature,  and  the  more  closely 
he  attains  them  the  better  his  plants  thrive. 
The  farmer's  object  is  to  conserve  his  cows 
during  the  winter  months,  and  the  more 
closely  he  reproduces  natural  conditions  the 
greater  will  be  his  success.  It  he  puts  them 
in  a  building  deficient  in  light  they  are  de- 
prived of  one  of  the  essentials  of  health,  and 
thereby  rendered  more  liable  to  be  attacked 
by  disease.  A  sick  cow  milks  her  owner's 
pocketbook;  yet  farmers  have  been  known  to 
maintain  a  tuberculous  herd  for  years,  while 
they  would  not  keep  a  consumptive  farm- 
hand for  a  week.  If  they  were  unaware  of 
the  presence  of  the  disease  they  paid  a  stag- 

47 


Clean  Milk 


gering  price  for  their  ignorance.  With  the 
present  diffusion  of  scientific  knowledge 
there  is  small  excuse  for  a  dairy  farmer  to 
be  ignorant  of  the  prevalence  of  tuberculosis 
in  dairy  cattle,  and  if,  when  the  most  prac- 
tical precautions  against  it  are  pointed  out, 
he  fails  to  do  his  share  in  combating  the  dis- 
ease, he  must  be  left  to  his  own  devices  until 
such  time  as  the  State,  in  the  interests  of 
the  community  in  general  and  the  dairy  in- 
dustry in  particular,  shall  compel  him  to 
maintain  his  establishment  in  a  sanitary 
condition  and  conduct  his  business  with 
ordinary  hygienic  safeguards. 

Tuberculosis  as  a  subject  is  to  the  farmer 
worse  than  the  proverbial  red  rag  to  a  bull, 
but  his  wrath  is  of  small  consequence  when 
the  problem  is  so  grave.  It  is  the  mountain 
to  which  farmer  Mahomet  must  some  day 
come,  and  no  one  realizes  this  better  than 
the  officials,  agricultural  and  scientific,  who 
are  charged  with  safeguarding  the  farmer's 
interests.  The  subject  cannot  be  discussed 
adequately  in  a  work  of  this  character;  all 

48 


A  &  M.  COLLEGE  LIBRARY 


The  "Cow  Barn 


that  can  be  done  is  to  remind  the  farmer  of 
the  extreme  danger  and  suggest  to  him  that 
if  not  because  of  the  possible  danger  of  com- 
municating tuberculosis  to  the  persons  who 
drink  his  milk,  then  because  of  the  welfare 
of  his  cows,  he  adopt  the  simple  measures  of 
prevention.  Foremost  among  these  is  light, 
and  one  would  like  to  see  cow  barns  with  a 
continuous  row  of  windows  in  the  side  walls. 
Some  men  offer  as  a  compromise  a  window 
to  each  cow,  which  is  a  vast  improvement 
over  ordinary  conditions.  The  Monitor  sky- 
light advocated  for  a  barn  gives  much  light, 
and  in  some  barns  glass  trapdoors  have 
been  laid  in  the  slope  of  the  roof. 

VENTILATION. 

After  light,  the  next  question  concerning 
a  barn  is  the  air,  which  is  furnished  by  Na- 
ture without  stint  and  of  unquestioned 
purity  when  the  cows  are  in  the  fields. 
When  the  farmer  takes  his  cows  indoors  he 
cannot  ignore,  unless  to  their  detriment  and 
the  depletion  of  his  income,  the  quality  and 

49 


Clean  Milk 


the  quantity  of  the  air  he  gives  them  to 
breathe. 

A  supply  of  good  air  is  usually  assured  if 
there  is  an  outlet  overhead,  because  dead 
air  and  the  exhalation  of  the  cattle,  being 
warmer  than  the  fresh  uninhaled  air,  will 
rise  and  pass  out,  provided  there  is  an  outlet. 

The  admission  of  fresh  air  is  usually 
accomplished  by  the  doors,  the  windows,  and 
the  loose  construction  of  a  barn,  but  when 
this  fails,  as  it  so  often  does  in  the  tenement 
house  style  of  barn,  with  its  loft  on  loft,  the 
owner  is  in  the  hands  of  his  architect  and 
must  look  to  him  for  a  system  of  ventilation. 

Good  ventilation  will  compensate  for 
small  air  space,  and  the  cubic  dimensions  of 
a  building  do  not  of  themselves  imply  good 
or  bad  air.  A  small  amount  of  air  constantly 
renewed  is  far  better  than  a  great  quantity 
of  stale  air. 

THE  STALLS  AND  THE  STANCHION. 

In  building  the  stalls  the  same  ideas  apply 
which  governed  the  interior  construction  of 

50 


The  Cow  Barn 


the  barn,  namely,  a  skeleton  framework  and 
the  absence  of  solid  board  partitions,  in 
order  to  reduce  the  dust  surface  and  not  to 
impede  the  circulation  of  air  and  the  diffu- 
sion of  light. 

Smoothness  and  the  adaptability  to  a  light 
color  might  also  be  considered. 

Regarding  the  stanchion  framework, 
which  usually  consists  of  two  horizontal 
timbers,  into  which  is  set  the  stanchion,  it 
is  recommended  that  the  lower  timber  be 
sunk  in  the  floor  and  leveled  over  flush  with 
it.  This  removes  the  corners,  which,  besides 
collecting  dust  and  particles  of  food,  are 
difficult  to  clean,  and  is  of  further  advan- 
tage in  that  the  cow,  as  she  lunges  forward 
when  about  to  lie  down,  will  not  strike  her 
knees  against  the  bar. 

In  an  effort  to  provide  separate  stalls 
many  farmers  have  built  a  diagonal  parti- 
tion, extending  from  the  upper  timber  of  the 
stanchion  framework  down  toward  the 
lower  end  of  the  stall  floor.  Such  a  separa- 
tion is  to  be  commended,  but  instead  of  the 

51 


Clean  Milk 


solid  partition  it  is  advised  that  there  be 
substituted  a  single  detachable  bar. 

With  the  introduction  of  the  manure  gut 
ter  came  the  problem  of  accommodating  cow 
and  stall,  and  the  problem  is  still  vexatious. 
The  gutter  fixes  the  length  of  the  stall,  and 
if  the  cows  fit,  well  and  good;  if  they  don't, 
there  is  no  help  for  it.  In  probably  90  per 
cent,  of  the  cases,  and  even  when  the  stalls 
graduate  from  the  size  required  for  a  Hol- 
stein  down  to  the  smaller  accommodations 
for  a  Jersey,  the  cow  and  the  stall  are  mis- 
fits. The  manure  gutter  is  then  either  use- 
less or  becomes  a  greater  cause  of  defile- 
ment. When  the  stall  is  too  long  the  gutter 
might  better  be  away,  as  it  then  performs 
no  useful  purpose,  since  the  droppings  fall 
on  the  floor  of  the  stall.  It  would  be  a  great 
improvement  to  abolish  the  manure  gutter, 
and  for  a  device  to  assist  in  mechanically 
keeping  cowts  free  of  manure  study  the  possi- 
bilities of  the  stanchion.  The  tipping  stan- 
chion, used  in  combination  with  a  floor  be- 
ginning to  slope  at  the  rear  of  the  stalls, 

52 


The  Cow  Barn 


is  earnestly  recommended  for  the  considera- 
tion of  dairy  farmers.  This  stanchion  is  set 
at  an  angle  instead  of  vertically;  its  lower 
end  is  attached,  as  ordinarily,  to  the  lower 
timber  of  the  stanchion  framework,  but  the 
upper  end  is  fastened  the  necessary  dis- 
tance, say  eight  inches,  back  of  the  place  of 
attachment  for  the  upright  stanchion.  The 
result  of  this  is  that  the  cow,  when  prostrate, 
is  advanced  the  distance  of  the  tipping  away 
from  her  droppings.  When  she  stands  the 
stanchion  permits  forward  motion,  and  as 
it  can  be  made  flexible  or  revolvable  side 
motion  as  well,  but  the  backward  motion  is 
curtailed  and  reduced  to  a  minimum,  so  it 
is  reasonably  certain  that  the  animal  will 
not  be  stepping  in  manure.  Nature  con- 
tributes toward  accomplishing  this,  as  the 
physiological  act  of  defecation  is  performed 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  insure  the  animal's 
freedom  from  pollution  by  her  own  excre- 
tion. In  general,  manure  drops  outside  the 
area  covered  by  the  animal's  body  when 
erect,  and  if  when  erect  she  is  prevented 


Clean  Milk 


from  stepping  back  any  considerable  dis- 
tance, and,  also,  when  about  to  lie  down 
caused  to  prostrate  herself  some  inches  for- 
ward, she  will,  in  all  probability,  remain 
practically  clean  of  manure.  The  accom- 
plishment of  this  means  a  great  deal  toward 
keeping  manure  out  of  milk,  but  it  also 
means  just  as  much  in  the  reduction  of  labor 
devoted  to  keeping  the  herd  in  a  cleanly 
condition. 

MANGERS  AND  WATER  BUCKETS. 

If  the  observations  of  modern  dairy  estab- 
lishments can  be  taken  as  a  basis  of  judg- 
ment, feeding  from  the  floor  is  preferable  to 
the  use  of  mangers.  These  would  better  be 
discarded,  on  account  of  the  great  amount 
of  infectious  matter  they  contain,  dirt,  dust, 
and  particles  of  food,  in  immediate  proxim- 
ity to  the  mouth  and  nostrils  of  the  animal. 
It  is  practically  impossible  to  clean  mangers 
thoroughly,  and,  like  solid  board  partitions, 
they  are  objectionable  on  the  score  of  an 
impediment  to  the  circulation  of  air  and  the 
diffusion  of  light. 

54 


The  Cow  Barn 


If  water  buckets  are  used  they  can  be 
attached  to  the  stanchion  framework,  but 
they  require  careful  and  regular  cleaning  in 
order  to  guard  against  the  communication  of 
infectious  material. 

EQUIPMENT. 

Artificial  light  of  some  kind  must  be  avail- 
able, as  during  a  great  portion  of  the  year 
the  milking  is  performed  in  semi-darkness. 
It  goes  without  saying  that  if  the  milker 
is  expected  to  do  his  work  in  a  cleanly  man- 
ner he  must  at  least  be  able  to  see  what  he 
is  doing.  Electric  light  is  all  that  could  be 
desired,  but  even  the  smallest  farmer  is  able 
to  have  necessary  light,  since  if  nothing  else 
is  possible  he  can  provide  each  milker  with 
a  lantern. 

Water  supply  in  the  barn  should  include 
taps  of  hot  and  cold  water,  and  with  them 
be  provided  conveniences  for  cleaning  of  the 
hands. 

Clean  hands  should  be  an  absolute  rule  of 
milking,  yet  small  as  this  important  require- 

55 


Chan  Milk 


raent  is  it  will  be  neglected  unless  the  oppor- 
unity  of  washing  is  right  at  hand. 

Washing  facilities  should  be  placed  in  the 
barn,  not  only  for  convenience  sake,  but  also 
because,  as  far  as  possible,  all  procedures 
connected  with  milking  should  be  separated 
from  the  household,  and,  therefore,  the  milk- 
ers should  not  wash  in  the  kitchen.  Many 
barns  boast  a  washing  room,  but  every  far- 
mer can  supply  a  tin  basin,  soap,  and  towels, 
and  even  when  running  water  is  not  to  be 
had  pails  of  water  can  be  provided.  When 
washing  facilities  are  thus  ready  it  is  very 
little  trouble  for  the  milkers  to  wash  imme- 
diately before  milking,  and  numerous  far- 
mers, of  their  own  accord,  wash  the  hands 
thoroughly  several  times  during  the  milking 
period,  a  practise  which  one  old  farmer,  who 
cared  nothing  for  the  manure  thickened  on 
the  cows'  hides,  religiously  observed. 

STORAGE. 

Storage  in  the  cow  barn  is  a  practise  which 
denotes  things  out  of  their  proper  place,  and 

5G 


The  Coiv  Barn 


is  also  condemned  because  of  the  unneces- 
sary dirt  and  dust  it  occasions  in  the  barn. 
If  it  be  farm  utensils  they  bring  a  great 
amount  of  dirt  indoors,  which  the  wind  is 
liable  to  scatter  about  on  the  men  and  ani- 
mals, the  walls  and  ceilings,  and  thereby 
increase  the  work  of  cleaning  and  also  add 
a  chance  of  defiling  the  milk. 

Food,  in  the  shape  of  grain  feed  piled  in 
a  corner,  means  that  dry  dust  from  it  will 
be  carried  in  the  air.  The  odor  of  silage  in 
the  milk  is  often  caused  by  its  presence  in 
the  barn  rather  than  by  the  feeding  of  it  to 
the  cows.  This  holds  equally  true  of  brew- 
ers' grains. 

Milking  utensils,  including  the  forty-quart 
cans,  should  not  be  kept  in  the  barn,  which 
is  not  an  appropriate  place  for  such  articles. 
They  belong  in  the  dairy  house,  the  vat 
room,  or  the  spring  house. 


CARE  OF  THE  BARN. 

The  barn  should  be  in  such  condition  that 
cows,  when  brought  clean  from  the  fields  or 

57 


Clean  Milk 


after  being  groomed  and  washed,  shall  not 
become  dirty  again  through  their  surround- 
ings indoors.  If  it  be  considered  that  cows 
are  stabled  uninterruptedly  for  a  period  of 
six  months,  and  that  the  condition  of  their 
quarters  is  a  factor  in  their  health,  and,  fur- 
thermore, that  the  milking  is  done  in  the 
barn,  the  cleanliness  of  the  place  will  be 
admitted  to  be  of  prime  importance.  Keep- 
ing a  barn  in  a  sanitary  condition  is  not  a 
great  problem,  for  there  is  hardly  a  dairy 
community  which  does  not  boast  of  a  barn, 
accommodating  a  herd  of  from  ten  to  fifty 
cows,  which  is  clean  and  free  from  odors. 
The  means  required  are  very  inexpensive, 
and  the  methods  to  be  followed  simple. 

If  a  farmer  starts  with  his  barn  in  proper 
condition  he  has  done  much  in  his  campaign 
against  dirt  and  disease.  A  thorough  over- 
hauling and  cleaning  just  before  the  cows 
are  put  in  the  barn  for  the  winter  period,  and 
after  they  are  turned  out  to  pasture  on  the 
approach  of  summer,  will  do  much  toward 
preserving  the   building   and   reducing  the 

58 


The  Cow  Bam 


labor  of  maintaining  it  throughout  the  year. 
In  this  semi-annual  cleaning  every  part  of 
the  barn  should  receive  attention,  and  con- 
sidering that  dust  is  the  great  enemy,  every 
possible  lurking  place  or  lodgment  for  it 
should  be  removed  or  reduced  as  much  as 
possible.  A  diminution  of  dust  in  the  barn 
decreases  the  danger  of  rapid  infection  of  a 
herd  from  a  tuberculous  cow,  and  this  is  best 
accomplished  by  reducing  the  footholds  for 
dust,  such  as  cracks,  corners,  rough  surfaces, 
etc.,  and  also  by  removing  the  dust  by  con- 
stant and  thorough  cleanings. 

Whitewashing  also  should  be  a  regular 
part  of  these  general  cleanings,  and  the  en- 
tire interior  receive  a  liberal  coat.  Besides 
the  two  general  cleanings  some  whitewash- 
ing should  be  done  all  through  the  year.  If 
a  pail  and  brush  are  kept  handy  it  can  be 
done  at  odd  hours  and  on  rainy  days.  The 
advantages  of  whitewashing  are  such  as 
recommend  it  to  every  farmer.  It  is  an  effec- 
tive disinfectant,  because  of  the  lime  con- 
tained in  it;  it  absorbs  odors,  and  unques- 

59 


Clean  Milk 


tionably  makes  the  interior  lighter.  As  has 
previously  been  pointed  out,  light  in  a  barn 
is  so  important  that  any  means  of  increasing 
it  should  not  be  neglected. 

As  part  of  the  daily  cleaning  the  entire 
floor  should  be  flushed  and  washed  down 
with  a  hose,  or,  where  this  is  not  possible, 
then  thoroughly  swept,  but  the  sweeping 
should  be  over  at  least  one  hour  before  milk- 
ing, in  order  to  allow  time  for  the  dust  to 
settle.  It  is  sometimes  expedient  to  sprinkle 
the  floor  with  a  hose  or  sprinkling  can.  In 
this  daily  cleaning  it  is  important  that  the 
alleys,  the  mangers,  the  feed  troughs,  and 
water  buckets  receive  special  attention,  in 
order  that  remnants  of  food  shall  not  be 
overlooked.  Food  particles  not  only  produce 
an  odor,  but  also  provide  a  medium  for  bac- 
terial growth.  A  part  of  the  daily  cleaning 
not  to  be  neglected  is  a  thorough  airing  and 
sunning  of  the  barn. 

The  sidings  and  the  windows  should  be 
cleaned  at  least  once  a  month,  and  dust  not 
permitted  to  collect  in  corners  and  cracks 

60 


The  Cow  Barn 


in  the  woodwork.  Cobwebs  especially 
gather  dust,  and  these  should  be  removed 
quite  frequently,  as  it  requires  only  a  few 
minutes'  work  with  a  broom  to  brush  them 
away. 

The  stalls  and  stanchion  framework  need 
frequent  cleaning,  and  good  farmers  clean 
them  once  a  week. 

The  manure  gutter,  where  there  is  one, 
needs  above  all  things  the  greatest  atten- 
tion, and  the  necessity  for  the  proper  clean- 
ing of  it  cannot  be  emphasized  strongly 
enough.  Manure  is  the  principle  cause  of 
the  contamination  of  milk;  it  defiles  the  ani- 
mals, the  buildings,  and  the  workers,  and  by 
excluding  it  from  the  milk,  a  great  step  in 
the  production  of  clean  milk  has  been  taken. 
As  has  been  shown,  manure  gutters  should 
not  be  allowed,  but  a  well-constructed  gut- 
ter can  be  kept  in  a  sanitary  condition.  It 
must  be  thoroughly  cleaned  out  at  least  once 
a  day  and  land  plaster  and  lime  strewn  in 
it.  These  are  both  absorbents  and  disinfec 
tants.    A  point  should  be  made  of  this  daily 

61 


Clean  Milk 


cleaning,  and  the  practise  of  waiting  until 
the  gutter  is  full  or  overflowing  condemned. 
The  soiled  bedding  may  be  drawn  into  the 
gutter  and  used  as  an  absorbent  for  the 
urine.  Many  farmers  are  accustomed  to  put 
the  horse  manure  and  refuse  from  the  horse 
stable  into  the  gutter,  but  this  practise  is 
not  advisable.  Where  a  grating  is  placed 
over  the  gutter  care  should  be  taken  that  it 
is  kept  clean.  This  grating,  as  a  rule,  is  bet- 
ter dispensed  with,  because  it  is  difficult  to 
keep  clean,  and  only  the  rich  man  can  afford 
the  extra  labor  necessary  for  complicated 
devices.  In  carrying  away  manure  from  the 
barn  it  may  be  suggested  that  this  be  done 
with  care,  in  order  not  to  contaminate  the 
barn  and  the  cow  yard.  Frequently  the 
ground  around  farm  buildings  will  be 
seriously  polluted  from  careless  handling  of 
the  manure.  A  metal  wheelbarrow  or  the 
watertight  cart  in  use  by  street  cleaners  is 
suggested  as  well  suited  for  this  purpose. 

BEDDING. 

Bedding  or  no  bedding  is  a  question  with 

62 


The  Cow  Barn 


farmers.  Many,  even  with  a  cement  floor  to 
the  stalls,  believe  it  to  be  unnecessary. 

When  the  stalls  have  a  wooden  floor,  or 
a  wooden  platform  is  placed  npon  a  cement 
floor,  less  bedding  is  required,  and  this  is  an 
advantage,  for  bedding  means  dust  in  close 
proximity  to  the  udder  and  teats  and  conse- 
quently greater  exposure  for  the  milk. 

The  farmer  should  see  that  not  too  much 
bedding  is  laid,  and  that  it  is  clean  and  free 
as  possible  from  dust.  Bedding  a  cow  up  to 
the  belly  is  an  unwise  practise,  for  it 
increases  the  difficulty  of  producing  pure 
milk. 

The  best  bedding  is  planed  shavings,  and 
the  worst  is  hay.  Hay  not  only  carries  much 
dust,  but  is  also  the  source  of  special  spore- 
bearing  organisms  whose  presence  in  milk 
are  to  be  guarded  against.  Other  material 
may  be  used,  such  as  sawdust,  dried  leaves, 
and  straw,  which  are  good  absorbents  and 
reasonably  free  from  dust.  When  straw  is 
used  it  must  be  cut  up  small,  so  that  it  will 
not  reach  up  to  the  body  of  the  cow. 

63 


Clean  Milk 


All  bedding  should  be  removed  daily,  to 
permit  cleaning  of  the  entire  floor  of  the 
barn,  but  if  this  is  not  done  at  least  the 
soiled  bedding  should  be  drawn  into  the 
manure  gutter  and  some  fresh  bedding 
added.  The  removal  of  bedding  should  be 
part  of  the  morning  chores,  and  the  placing 
of  fresh  bedding  is  best  done  after  the  even- 
ing milking.  This  practise  not  only  leaves 
more  room  for  the  milker  and  his  utensils, 
but  the  resulting  dust  is  raised  at  a  time 
when  the  milk  will  not  be  exposed  to  it. 

FEEDING. 

It  is  better  that  no  rations  be  given  just 
preceding  or  during  the  milking,  because  of 
the  dust  which  will  be  raised,  but  if  a  farmer 
insists  on  feeding  at  this  time  the  least  harm 
is  done  by  giving  a  scant  ration  of  moist 
grain. 

After  the  milking  is  over  any  food  may  be 
given.  In  general  all  foods  likely  to  produce 
a  foreign  odor  and  taste  in  the  milk  should 
be  fed  some  hours  before  milking.  It  is  much 

64 


The  Cow  Bam 


wiser  to  feed  silage  or  any  strong  smelling 
or  fermentable  food  immediately  after  the 
morning  milking,  because  the  daily  cleaning 
and  airing  taking  place  then,  fragments  of 
these  foods  are  removed  and  there  is  time  for 
the  odor  to  pass  off  before  the  next  milking. 

In  order  to  abbreviate  the  evening  chores 
many  farmers  have  the  practise  of  pulling 
down  hay  before  milking.  This  is  to  be  con- 
demned, because  it  fills  the  air  with  dust. 

The  practise  of  bringing  silage  in  trucks 
and  cars  to  stand  for  hours  in  the  barn  is 
equally  bad,  because  it  means  the  presence 
of  an  odor  in  the  barn  likely  to  be  absorbed 
by  the  warm  milk. 


ISOLATION     QUARTERS 

CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  question  of  caring  for  a  sick  cow 
brings  out,  perhaps  more  decisively 
than  in  any  other  way,  how  insepar- 
ably united  are  sentiment  and  profit  in 
dairying.  That  a  tender,  sensitive  animal 
burdened  with  her  unborn  offspring  should 
be  gently  handled  and  protected  from  hard- 
ship and  abuse,  receives  the  assent  of  every 
humane  person;  but  when  this  animal  is,  at 
the  same  time,  daily  producing  an  article 
convertible  into  dollars  and  cents,  and  the 
amount  of  this  money-making  article  is  in- 
creased by  kindness  and  diminished  by 
brutality,  it  is  then  that  sentiment  is  rein- 
forced by  profit  and  the  two  unite  and  say 
"  Be  kind  to  the  cow." 

Assuming  that  farmers  realize  the  rela- 
tion between  the  health  of  the  animal  and 
her  profit  to  him,  it  seems  reasonable  to 
assert  that  no  dairy  establishment  is  com- 
plete without  some  provision  for  isolating  a 
cow. 

66 


Isolation  Quarters 


Once  she  shows  any  disorder  or  comes 
under  suspicion  in  any  way,  it  is  necessary 
that  she  be  separated  from  the  herd.  No 
farmer  is  justified,  nor  can  he  afford  to  be 
responsible  for  a  sick  animal,  not  only  on  ac- 
count of  the  particular  animal,  but  because 
of  the  danger  to  his  entire  herd  and  to  the 
milk  as  well.  A  veterinarian,  as  a  qualified 
person  on  whose  judgment  and  decision  the 
farmer  can  rely,  should  be  summoned,  and 
in  the  meantime,  no  risk  incurred  but  the 
animal  in  question  promptly  isolated.  Some 
place  apart  from  the  cow  barn  should  be 
provided,  where  the  animal  can  be  watched, 
and  receive  the  necessary  treatment  and  at- 
tention. The  isolation  quarters  should  in- 
sure to  a  sick  animal  an  abundant  supply 
of  light  and  air,  ease  and  comfort,  and  a 
freedom  from  noise  and  disturbance.  The 
quarters  also  should  be  capable  of  thorough 
disinfection  after  use. 

The  isolation  quarters  could  also  be  of 
great  service  in  the  treatment  of  tubercu- 
losis. An  animal  could  be  quarantined  there, 

67 


Clean  Milk 


until  the  diagnosis  be  made.  If  it  be  con- 
clusive that  the  animal  has  tuberculosis  and 
is  valuable  enough  to  be  worth  the  trouble, 
she  could  receive  attention  and  treatment 
which  might  result  in  curing  her. 


IMPROVEMENT  OF  A  DAIRY 

CHAPTER   V. 

THE  statement  is  made  advisedly  that 
there  is  hardly  a  dairy  in  the  land 
whose  efficiency  in  producing  clean 
milk  cannot  be  raised  to  a  standard  as  high 
as  any  which,  with  reasonableness,  is  applied 
to  the  production  of  any  other  commercial 
product.  Some  places  are  beyond  redemp- 
tion short  of  a  new  establishment,  but  in  the 
main  dairy  farms,  whether  those  of  the  home 
farmer  class,  with  a  herd  of  a  dozen  or  a 
score  of  cows,  or  those  of  an  aggregation  of 
farms  under  one  manager,  boasting  of  a 
thousand  cattle,  are  capable  of  great  im- 
provement, and  this  improvement  with  sim- 
ple and  rather  inexpensive  means.  A  typical 
case  of  what  has  been  accomplished  is  here 
set  forth.  The  dairy,  consisting  of  twenty 
cows,  was  owned  by  the  farmer,  and  all  the 
work  done  by  himself  and  his  wife.  It  was  a 
very  small  establishment,  but  it  represented 
a  type  of  dairy  that  is  probably  more  numer- 
ous than  any  other,  is  too  frequently  and 


Clean  Milk 


mistakenly  classed  as  hopeless,  and  for  these 
reasons  it  seemed  desirable  to  devote  efforts 
toward  its  improvement  and  demonstrate 
what  could  be  done  under  unfavorable 
conditions. 

The  bacteriologist  made  a  visit  and  found 
conditions  that  represented  millions  of  bac- 
teria to  a  cubic  centimetre  of  milk.  The 
barn  floor  was  in  bad  condition  and  the  gut- 
ter contained  much  manure;  overhead  was  a 
ceiling  of  poles  with  the  hay  in  wisps  and 
bunches  sticking  down.  The  place  looked  as 
if  it  had  not  been  cleaned  for  years,  the  sid- 
ings were  thickly  bespattered  with  urine  and 
manure  spots,  cobwebs  spanned  every  corner 
and  angle,  dust  lay  piled  in  the  crevices  and 
crannies,  and  there  did  not  seem  to  be  a 
square  inch  of  clean  wood  in  the  whole  inte- 
rior. Dirty  clothing  hung  on  hooks,  plows 
and  other  farm  machinery  were  scattered 
about,  and  in  a  corner  was  stored  a  pile  of 
feed.  Though  it  was  summer,  even  the  cows 
were  not  clean,  many  of  them  having  manure 
on  the  flanks.    When  the  herd  was  brought 

70 


Improvement  of  a  Dairy 


indoors  for  milking  they  stood  restlessly  in 
their  stalls,  stamping  and  swishing  their 
tails.  It  was  a  hot,  sultry  day  in  August, 
but  indoors  was  more  uncomfortable  than  in 
the  open  air.  The  sun  streamed  through  the 
western  windows,  the  strong  odor  in  the 
place  attracted  great  numbers  of  flies,  and 
the  stuffy,  heated  atmosphere  was  trying  to 
both  cows  and  humans.  The  straining  of 
the  milk  was  done  in  the  barn;  the  strainer 
had  partly  rusted,  while  the  cheesecloth 
used,  being  loosely  fastened,  would  slip  into 
the  strainer  and  be  lifted  out  by  the  fingers 
of  the  milker. 

To  remedy  such  conditions  required  co- 
operation, but  the  farmer  had  a  willing  spirit 
and  was  convinced  of  the  advantages  to  be 
derived  from  the  knowledge  and  scientific 
training  of  the  visitor.  In  company  with  the 
bacteriologist  the  farmer  went  through  his 
establishment  and  its  defects  were  pointed 
out  to  him,  the  loss  they  caused  him,  and  the 
injury  resulting  to  his  milk.  The  weak 
points   in   his   system   of  operations   were 

71 


(Iran  Milk 


explained  to  him,  the  necessary  changes  indi- 
cated, and  where  asked  the  ways  and  means 
to  improvement  suggested. 

On  a  return  visit  the  place  was  found 
transformed.  The  barn  interior  was  cool, 
light,  and  presented  an  orderly  appearance. 
The  use  of  whitewash  had  done  wonders  in 
brightening  the  barn.  Sheathing  paper  had 
been  tacked  upon  the  poles,  and  it  made  a 
tight  ceiling.  Green  window  shades  on  the 
western  windows  tempered  the  afternoon 
sun,  and  the  barn  was  cooler.  The  odor  was 
greatly  diminished,  and  fewer  flies  were 
about,  and,  though  it  was  just  as  hot  as  on 
the  previous  visit,  the  cows  were  standing 
quietly  and  at  ease.  Adjoining  the  barn  the 
farmer  had  built  a  plain  board  lean-to  just 
the  size  of  a  vat  room,  and  here  the  milk  was 
carried  in  covered  pails  and  strained  through 
a  metal  wire  mesh  strainer  without  any 
cloth.  A  wash-boiler  had  been  called  into 
use,  and  the  milking  pail  and  the  strainer 
boiled  daily.  Under  the  new  conditions  the 
farmer's  milk  registered  a  count  of  less  than 

72 


Improvement  of  a  Dairy 


30,000  bacteria  per  c.c,  and  aside  from  the 
satisfaction  he  felt  in  such  a  good  record, 
the  farmer  was  free  to  admit  that  under  his 
new  system  the  milking  went  more  expe- 
ditiously. 

It  is  to  be  noted  in  connection  with  the 
improvement  of  this  dairy  that  the  changes 
required  a  very  small  expenditure,  and  these 
changes  once  made  would  be  effective  for  a 
long  period  of  time.  The  whitewash,  sheath- 
ing paper  for  the  ceiling,  the  green  shades, 
the  new  utensils,  and  the  building  of  a  milk 
room  did  not  cost  much  for  the  material, 
while  the  work  was  done  by  the  farmer  him- 
self. In  return  for  it  the  farmer  had  trans- 
formed his  dairy  so  that  it  became  a  show 
place  in  the  community,  he  had  improved 
the  stabling  accommodations  for  the  herd, 
he  had  a  new  system  of  operations  which 
was  more  convenient  and  more  rapid  than 
his  former  one,  and  he  had  equipped  himself 
to  produce  a  superior  grade  of  milk. 


73 


THE  COWS 

CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  owner  of  or  the  person  responsible 
for  dairy  cattle  has  laid  upon  himself 
certain  definite  responsibilities  and 
duties  from  the  mere  fact  of  taking  charge 
of  living  animals  of  that  character.  One  of 
these,  and  not  the  least  important,  is  their 
maintenance  in  a  state  of  health.  He  owes 
it  to  himself,  to  the  animals,  and  to  his  fel- 
low men  in  the  community  that  neither  the 
animals  nor  their  product  shall  be  obnox- 
ious. Some  of  the  things  calculated  to 
accomplish  this  much  desired  result  have 
been  set  forth  in  the  recommendation  for  a 
clean,  light,  and  airy  barn,  and  also  the  iso- 
lation quarters.  What  is  here  offered  for 
the  consideration  of  dairy  farmers  is  the  im- 
portant matter  of  the  external  cleanliness  of 
the  cows. 

Whether  a  cow's  hide  be  clean,  as  in  Na- 
ture, or  plastered  with  manure  accumula- 
tions, as  in  the  dairy  state,  is  no  small  mat- 
ter.   Not  only  has  it  a  bearing  on  the  welfare 

74 


The  Cows 


of  the  animal,  but  it  affects  in  all  too  great 
a  degree  the  quality  of  her  product. 

It  is  generally  accepted  that  if  the  cow  be 
dirty  it  is  her  keeper,  not  the  animal,  who  is 
to  blame.  In  summer,  when  she  is  pastured 
and  at  liberty  to  follow  her  own  devices,  she 
can  select  her  own  bed,  and  it  is  a  clean  one; 
she  uses  the  comb,  brush,  and  water  pro- 
vided by  Nature,  and,  aided  by  a  long  handle, 
her  very  supple  neck,  she  washes  and  grooms 
her  own  body.  She  asks  and  needs  no  atten- 
tion from  the  keeper,  and  in  winter  it  would 
be  the  same  if  she  were  given  half  a  chance 
to  keep  clean.  In  place  of  the  open  field, 
with  pure  air  unstinted,  she  may  be  boxed 
beneath  a  two-foot  ceiling,  which  showers 
down  hay,  dust,  cobwebs,  and  the  settling 
refuse  of  a  three-story  building,  her  head  is 
pilloried  between  slats,  she  must  lie  in  a  bed 
made  for  her  of  her  own  filth,  and  her  ac- 
quaintance with  outdoors  amounts  to  tram- 
pling a  narrow,  dirty  yard.  It  can  be  laid 
down  as  a  safe  guide  that  when  the  cow 
requires  cleaning  there  is  something  funda- 

75 


Clean  Milk 


mentally  wrong  in  the  method  of  keeping 
her.  When  she  is  bound  hard  and  fast  by 
the  neck  the  person  doing  this  must  make 
up  for  the  cow's  inability  to  groom  herself; 
when  she  is  compelled  to  lie  down  in  a  bed 
of  manure  the  farmer  cannot  shirk  his  duty, 
and  that  is,  clean  the  cow  of  manure. 

The  sight  of  a  cow  with  manure  flanks  is 
so  common  that  it  has  come  to  be  accepted 
as  the  distinctive  badge  of  a  dairy  animal. 
It  denotes  wanton  neglect  and  shameful 
laziness  on  the  part  of  the  animal's  keeper, 
and  the  man  who  stands  by  and  calmly 
watches  the  noxious  stuff  thicken  and 
thicken  day  by  day  is  unfit  to  associate  with 
a  dairy  cow.  If  his  own  sense  of  decency  is 
stopped  up  like  his  nose,  and  the  public  sen- 
timent of  his  home  community  does  not  prod 
him,  he  will  revel  in  his  filth  until  the  State, 
under  a  license  system,  quarantines  the  milk 
produced  by  such  filthy  dairies. 

If  the  prevention  of  this  blot  on  the  dairy 
industry  called  for  a  considerable  expendi- 
ture of  money  and  labor  the  farmer  might 

76 


The  Cows 


have  some  excuse.  In  the  case  of  the  poor 
man  who  can  afford  only  a  primitive  arrange- 
ment for  a  stanchion  and  stall,  and  in  the 
case  of  him  who  can  afford  but  will  not  pay 
for  adequate  stabling  accommodation,  there 
can  be  used  an  old  broom,  which  with  a  few 
minutes'  work  each  day  will  brush  off  the 
greatest  part  of  the  manure  and  keep  the 
cow's  hide  decently  clean.  If  the  cow  re- 
ceives no  other  cleaning,  at  least  the  brush- 
ing of  the  flanks  with  the  broom  can  be  done 
each  day,  and  the  cheapness  and  efficiency 
of  this  simple  act  puts  it  beyond  the  power 
of  even  the  poorest  dairy  farmer  in  the  land 
to  offer  a  good  excuse  for  his  cows  carrying 
a  load  of  manure. 

For  the  dairy  farmer  with  a  pride  in  his 
dairy,  who  wishes  to  produce  an  especially 
clean  milk  and  a  milk  that  is  a  luxury  indeed, 
there  is  a  special  cleaning  which  supple- 
ments the  daily  grooming.  The  currycomb- 
ing  and  brushing  is  an  ordinary  daily  atten- 
tion which  the  cow,  as  a  valuable  animal  and 
a  profitable  member  of  the  establishment,  is 

77 


Clean  Milk 


as  much  entitled  to  as  she  is  to  her  daily 
ration.  An  extra  cleaning  with  a  view  to 
making  absolutely  clean  milk  should  include 
the  use  of  soap  and  water. 

Thirty  minutes  before  each  milking  the 
flanks  should  be  scrubbed,  the  tail  from  the 
base  to  end,  the  udder  and  the  folds  between 
the  udder  and  flanks  thoroughly  washed,  and 
then  the  tail  combed  out.  This  washing  im- 
mediately before  milking  leaves  a  damp  sur- 
face from  which  dust  will  not  fly. 

The  washing  may  at  first  affect  the  flow  of 
milk,  but  this  is  only  temporary  and  ceases 
once  the  cow  becomes  accustomed  to  it. 

Once  the  cows  are  cleaned  in  preparation 
for  the  milking  they  should  be  kept  standing 
until  the  milking  is  completed.  This  action 
not  only  assists  in  reducing  the  chances  of 
dirt  getting  into  the  milk  but  is  of  great 
value  in  saving  time,  in  some  dairies  as  much 
as  thirty  minutes  being  gained  on  the  time 
required  for  milking.  It  can  be  accomplished 
in  various  ways,  but  one  of  the  most  simple 
and  effective  is  the  use  of  a  throat  latch. 

78 


The  Coivs 


This  is  simply  a  long  rope  or  chain  drawn 
under  the  necks  of  a  line  of  cows  and  at- 
tached to  the  stanchion  framework;  it  can  as 
well  be  a  short  chain  fastened  to  one  bar  of 
a  stanchion  and  hooking,  under  the  neck  of 
the  cow,  to  the  other  bar.  It  is  also  feasible 
where  the  cow  has  a  collar,  to  hook  this  to 
the  stanchion.  Many  stanchions  can  also  be 
made  to  keep  the  cows  upright  for  the  short 
time  required  for  milking. 

It  may  seem  superfluous,  but  experience 
justifies  the  remark  that  this  compulsory 
standing  of  the  animal  is  intended  to  last 
only  during  the  milking  period,  and  once  the 
milking  is  over  the  throat  latch  or  stanchion 
should  be  cast  loose. 

What  to  do  with  a  cow's  tail  during  milk- 
ing has  given  many  a  farmer  considerable 
concern.  In  order  to  prevent  it  being  whisked 
about,  and  depositing  dirt  in  the  milk,  it  has 
been  bandaged  and  attached  by  a  loop  to  the 
ceiling,  but  the  simple  and  adequate  method 
of  making  it  harmless  by  clipping  and  wash- 
ing is  rarely  practised  by  the  farmer. 

79 


Clean  Milk 


Clipping  long  hairs  is  also  advisable.  This 
clipping  should  proceed  from  the  flanks 
backward,  include  the  base  and  length  of 
the  tail,  down  the  legs,  and  around  the  abdo- 
men and  udder.  Long  hair  or  clumps  of 
hair  in  the  region  of  the  udder  especially 
should  be  removed.  The  tail,  or  at  least 
the  long  straggling  hairs,  should  be  trimmed 
to  within  five  inches  of  the  ground. 


THE       MILKER 

CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  fact  that  milk  is  a  food  will  sug- 
gest to  every  person  that  the  rules  of 
cleanliness  observed  in  the  kitchen 
and  dining  room  may  be  well  applied  to  its 
production.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that 
the  milker  should  make  a  toilet  for  the  dairy 
as  punctilious  as  that  of  the  maid  who  waits 
on  the  table. 

The  need  of  cleanly  precautions  is  in- 
creased because  milk  has  a  peculiarly  active 
capacity  for  absorbing  all  manner  of  odors, 
it  is  a  favorable  medium  for  the  propagation 
of  disease  bacteria,  and  its  color  and  taste 
are  no  indications  of  its  power  for  good  or 
evil.  It  is  especially  dangerous,  since  unlike 
many  foods  it  does  not,  in  a  majority  of  the 
uses  it  is  put  to,  undergo  the  sterilization 
produced  by  cooking.  In  view  of  this,  it  is 
not  unreasonable  to  demand  that  the  per- 
sons handling  milk,  while  it  is  exposed,  be 
free  from  disease,  and  be  clean  in  person  and 
clothing. 

81 


Chan  Milk 


The  milker  should  be  selected  with  great 
care,  as  the  task  is  one  requiring  an  under- 
standing of  cows  and  a  sympathy  with  them, 
a  skill  in  working  quickly  and  neatly,  and  a 
willingness  to  take  pains  in  protecting  milk 
against  pollution. 

As  scrupulous  cleanliness  is  required  of 
the  milker,  bathing  facilities  should  be  con- 
venient and  laundry  service  be  free  and  un- 
stinted, that  the  milking  suit  and  other 
clothing  be  frequently  changed. 

The  simplest  health  precaution  would  bar 
out  a  milker  who  has  or  is  convalescing  from 
an  infectious  or  contagious  disease,  or  who 
is  nursing  a  patient  with  a  communicable 
malady.  Similarly,  if  a  milker  has  con- 
tracted influenza  or  any  inflammation  caus- 
ing pus  discharges,  he  should  be  relieved 
from  milking  duty. 

Odors  are  absorbed  so  readily  and  re- 
tained for  so  long  a  time  by  milk  that  estab- 
lishments producing  a  superior  article 
should  not  neglect  this  matter.  For  this 
reason,  it  would  be  preferable  to  employ 

82 


The  Milker 


milkers  who  did  not  use  tobacco  in  any  form, 
while  it  should  be  superfluous  to  forbid  the 
use  of  intoxicating  liquors.  The  odors  com- 
municated to  milk  from  the  hands  of  milkers 
are  too  numerous  to  be  cited,  and  the  em- 
ployees of  milk  companies  charged  with  test- 
ing milk  for  odor  can  recite  numerous  in- 
stances of  obnoxious  odors  introduced  by  de- 
filement of  the  hands  of  milkers.  There  is 
also  the  ever-present  danger  of  typhoid 
germs  being  communicated  to  milk  from 
milkers'  fingers,  which  have  been  contam- 
inated by  infected  feces. 

The  preparation  for  milking  should  con- 
sist of  washing  the  hands  and  arms  as  far  as 
the  elbows  with  warm  water  and  soap,  and 
the  use  of  a  finger  brush  and  nail  file.  After 
this  washing  the  milker  should  not  touch  the 
beard,  face,  ears,  eyes,  the  handkerchief,  or 
brush  the  cow's  hide  with  the  naked  hand. 

The  milking  clothes,  usually  consisting  of 
cap,  jacket,  and  trousers,  should  be  reserved 
for  this  purpose,  and  might  with  advantage 
be  sterilized  daily. 

83 


Clean  Milk 


All  milking  should  be  done  with  dry 
hands,  and  the  fore-milk  never  used  to  mois- 
ten the  fingers.  If  the  fingers  are  hard  or 
chapped  or  dandruff  is  on  the  cow's  teats  a 
little  vaseline  should  be  applied.  In  case  of 
coughing,  milkers  should  be  careful  to  avert 
the  head  from  the  milking  pail,  a  precaution 
also  to  be  observed  in  case  of  sneezing. 

The  dairy  farmer  who  does  not  receive  a 
premium  for  cleanliness  is  hardly  expected 
to  adopt  the  foregoing  requirements,  but  so 
long  as  he  offers  for  public  sale  and  con- 
sumption a  food  article  like  milk,  with  its 
possibilities  of  disease  conveying  and  its  ten- 
dencies to  deterioration  and  absolute  loss, 
he  may  be  expected,  out  of  deference  to  the 
public,  to  do  something. 

A  minimum  requirement,  such  as  a  State 
license  system  should  enact,  is  the  washing 
of  hands  and  the  wearing  of  a  garment  to 
protect  the  milk  from  defilement  by  the  or- 
dinary working  clothes.  Some  farmers  have 
no  idea  that  washing  the  hands  is  a  neces- 
sary  preparation   for   milking.     They   will 

84 


The  Milker 


milk  with  visible  dirt  upon  the  hands,  which, 
becoming  mingled  with  milk,  trickles  down 
between  the  fingers  into  the  milk  pail,  while 
others  will  milk  even  with  open  sores  upon 
the  hands.  In  contrast  to  such  men  many 
farmers  not  only  wash  the  hands  just  before 
taking  the  milking  pail,  but  also  wash  after 
milking  every  four  or  five  cows. 

The  wearing  of  dirty  working  clothes 
while  milking  is  inexcusable.  If  they  cannot 
be  discarded,  at  least,  some  garment  such 
as  a  jacket,  overalls,  or  apron  should  be 
worn  over  them.  The  heavy  cap  or  broad 
brimmed  hat,  especially,  should  be  put  off 
during  milking,  lest  dirt  fall  from  it  into  the 
milking  pail. 


M 

I 

L 

K 

A 

N 

D 

I 

T 

S 

P 

R 

E 

S    E 

R 

V 

A   T 

I 

O 

N 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

WHEN  Nature  instituted  milk  as  a 
food  she  also  provided  the  manner 
of  supplying  it  in  such  a  way  that 
it  should  not  be  exposed;  the  teat  of  the 
mother  entered  the  mouth  of  the  offspring 
and  the  food  passed  from  one  to  the  other 
without  suffering  external  contamination, 
except  what  might  be  caused  by  extraneous 
matter  attached  to  the  outside  of  the  teat. 
Human  ingenuity  has  imitated  the  method, 
and  when  the  scientist  wants  to  secure  milk 
in  its  natural  state  he  inserts  a  sterilized 
glass  tube  into  the  teat  and  draws  milk  into 
a  sterilized  bottle.  The  point  of  interest  to 
the  dairy  farmer  is  this:  Milk  taken  from 
a  cow  by  the  scientist  in  this  manner  will 
usually  keep  fresh  and  sweet  at  room  tem- 
perature for  years  when  protected  from 
later  contamination.  From  this  fact  the 
farmer  can  lay  down  all  the  necessary  rules 
for  the  handling  of  his  product,  and  all  these 

80 


BOTTLING     AT     A     HOME     DAIRY 


Milk  and  Its  Preservation 


rules  can  be  summed  up  in  one:  Do  not 
expose  milk  more  than  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary. Manifestly  some  exposure  will  take 
place;  the  farmer  not  only  cannot  do  as  the 
scientist  does,  but  his  object  is  not  to  pro- 
duce sterile  milk,  but  a  marketable  article 
that  will  retain  its  original  properties  for  a 
limited  period  of  time.  In  order  to  do  this 
let  him  imitate  so  far  as  he  can  the  method 
of  the  scientist,  and  the  closer  he  attains 
this  the  better  will  be  his  product.  But  even 
when  the  milk  has  been  exposed  there  re- 
mains a  simple  and  powerful  corrective. 
Keep  milk  at  a  low  temperature.  The  secret 
of  milk  preservation  lies  in  these  two  rules: 
First,  expose  milk  as  little  as  possible;  sec- 
ond, keep  milk  at  a  low  temperature;  and  it 
must  be  classed  as  a  piece  of  good  fortune 
that  a  food  product  of  such  value  and  wide- 
spread use  can  be  maintained  by  the  obser- 
vance of  so  few  and  so  simple  precautions. 
If  the  producer  of  milk  will  conduct  his  busi- 
ness with  the  knowledge  and  understanding 
that  the  cause  of  the  physical  and  chemical 

87 


Clean  Milk 


change  in  milk,  and  consequently  a  deprecia- 
tion of  its  value,  is  the  result  of  exposure  to 
bacterial  dirt,  he  will  be  forewarned  and 
forearmed  and  much  better  qualified  to 
work  intelligently. 

Exposure  to  bacterial  dirt  is  occasioned 
by  putting  milk  into  unclean  vessels,  by 
keeping  it  uncovered  near  unclean  persons 
and  animals,  and  leaving  it  uncovered  in  un- 
clean places.  Some  exposure  must  occur  in 
the  ordinary  routine.  So  much  is  granted. 
But  this  exposure  can  be  made  as  slight  and 
as  harmless  and  as  short  as  possible.  That 
is,  milk  in  its  passage  from  cow  to  consumer 
should  enter  a  small  number  of  vessels,  the 
fewer  the  better;  the  surface  it  touches  in 
these  vessels  should  be  reduced  as  much  as 
can  be,  and  the  openings  in  these  vessels 
should  be  as  small  as  the  purpose  allows, 
and  provided  with  covers.  Necessary  expo- 
sure is  limited  to  drawing  milk  from  a  clean 
cow  with  clean  fingers  into  a  clean  pail  in 
a  clean  barn;  it  means  straining  in  a  clean 
room  through  a  clean  strainer  into  a  clean 


Milk  and  Its  Preservation 


receiving  can.  Short  exposure  means  milk- 
ing quickly,  straining  quickly,  filling  vessels 
quickly,  and  covering  them  immediately. 

The  exposure  which  has  resulted  can  be 
offset  by  cooling  the  milk  and  maintaining 
it  at  a  low  temperature.  A  better  method 
than  the  use  of  ice  for  preserving  milk  has 
not  been  devised;  it  is  the  natural  one  to 
be  employed  in  connection  with  a  food 
product  like  milk  threatened  with  bacterial 
operations;  its  efficiency  is  beyond  question, 
and  its  cheapness  seems  like  a  provision  of 
Nature  to  aid  mankind  in  its  food  supply. 
What  icing  milk  accomplishes  is  the  delay- 
ing of  those  changes  in  the  milk  which  would 
otherwise  take  place  rapidly.  When  milk  is 
maintained  at  a  temperature  of  40°  Fah.  the 
bacteria  in  it  do  not  increase  rapidly  in  num- 
bers, and  are  not  active  in  performing  those 
functions  which  result  in  changes  in  milk, 
such  as  souring,  and  in  the  formation  of 
deleterious  products,  which  are  responsible 
for  the  so-called  milk  and  ice-cream 
poisoning. 

89 


Clean  Milk 


The  cooling  of  milk  should  be  done  within 
one  hour,  and,  if  possible,  immediately  after 
milking.  Making  all  due  allowance  for  the 
action  of  the  bacterial  substance  in  milk, 
this  is  the  safest  procedure.  If  the  farmer 
does  not  provide  for  the  cooling  it  may  not 
be  done  when  it  is  imperatively  needed,  and 
even  when  milk  is  delivered  to  the  consumer 
within  a  short  time  it  may  still  be  kept  for  as 
long  as  a  day  before  being  consumed.  This 
quick  and  continued  cooling  is  absolutely 
essential  for  milk  destined  for  the  cities, 
which  will  be  twenty-four  and  forty-eight 
hours  old  when  delivered. 


MILKING 

CHAPTER  IX. 

AS  a  preparation  for  milking  the  barn 
has  been  cleaned  of  manure,  land 
plaster  or  lime  laid,  the  cows  have 
been  groomed,  and  the  udder,  the  folds  near 
it,  and  the  tail  washed,  and  the  throat  latch 
or  stanchion  fastened  to  keep  the  animals 
standing. 

The  person  about  to  milk  has  washed  his 
hands  and  put  on  milking  clothes  and  taken 
the  milking  pail,  which  has  a  small  opening 
and  is  provided  with  a  cover. 

Before  beginning  to  milk  the  milker 
should  wipe  off  the  teats  with  a  towel,  which 
should  be  kept  in  the  pocket  of  the  jacket  of 
the  milking  suit.  The  milker  should  be  care- 
ful not  to  handle  a  dirty  milking  stool,  wipe 
the  udder  or  teats,  or  brush  the  side  of  the 
cow  with  the  naked  hand.  At  the  best  dairy 
farms  the  foremilk  is  discarded. 

The  practise  of  leaning  the  head  against 
the  cow's  body  should  be  abandoned.  While 
milking,  the  pail  should  be  held  at  an  angle 

91 


Clean  Milk 


of  45  degrees,  that  the  surface  of  milk  pre- 
sented to  falling  dirt  may  be  reduced. 

In  case  of  any  pollution  by  the  cow  during 
milking  the  milker  should  be  careful  that 
no  drops  of  urine,  bits  of  feces,  or  dust  raised 
by  the  droppings  get  into  the  milk,  and  if  a 
pail  of  milk  is  contaminated  in  this  way,  or 
by  another  accident,  such  as  a  cow  putting 
a  hoof  into  the  pail,  the  milk  should  be  kept 
from  the  general  supply. 

As  the  milking  must  be  done  expeditiously 
it  is  necessary  and  also  a  wise  provision  that 
all  unnecessary  persons  be  excluded  from 
the  cow  barn.  They  not  only  disturb  the 
herd,  and,  therefore,  affect  the  flow  of  milk, 
but  they  also  represent  an  unknown  danger 
of  infection. 

Children  under  fourteen  years  of  age 
especially  should  be  excluded,  as  they  may 
be  carriers  of  diphtheria  or  scarlet  fever,  to 
which  they  are  more  susceptible  than  adults. 

Small  animals,  such  as  dogs  and  cats, 
should  not  be  permitted  in  barns  and  dairy 
rooms. 

92 


Milking 


As  soon  as  a  cow  has  been  milked  the  milk- 
ing pail  must  be  covered  and  so  carried  to 
the  place  where  the  straining  is  to  be  done. 

The  straining  should  not  be  done  in  the 
barn,  the  barn  yard,  or  any  place  in  prox- 
imity to  dirt,  or  where  flies  will  gather;  a 
proper  place  is  the  dairy  room,  the  spring 
house,  or  vat  room,  where  milk  can  be  pro- 
tected against  extreme  contamination. 

When  the  milk  has  been  poured  from  the 
milking  pail  the  latter  should  immediately 
be  re-covered  and  kept  so  until  the  milker 
begins  to  milk  another  cow. 

As  soon  as  a  forty-quart  can  is  filled  it 
should  be  placed  in  a  cooling  vat  whose  tem- 
perature is  less  than  45°.  So  few  springs 
have  so  low  a  temperature  that  the  addition 
of  ice  is  usually  necessary.  The  covers 
should  be  tightly  fastened  on  the  cans,  to 
keep  out  dust,  frogs,  and  mice. 

If  the  farmer  persists  in  tipping  the  covers 
he  should  protect  the  can  with  a  wire  or 
cloth  covering. 

The  cans  of  milk  when  in  transit  to  the 

93 


Glean  Milk 


country  receiving  station  should  have 
wrapped  about  them  a  wet  blanket,  upon 
which  has  been  placed  another  dry  one. 
Jackets  for  the  cans,  of  course,  are  better, 
since  they  are  more  effective  in  preventing 
the  rise  of  temperature. 

Every  farmer  should  use  a  dairy  thermo- 
meter, that  he  may  definitely  know  at  what 
temperature  the  milk  leaves  his  place,  the 
temperature  of  the  spring,  and  the  cooling 
vat. 


THE   DAIRY    ROOM  AND 
THE       ICE       HOUSE 

CHAPTER   X. 

THE  dairy  room  should  be  reserved  for 
its  set  purpose  because  of  the  neces- 
sity of  its  being  always  kept  scrupu- 
lously clean. 

No  storage  should  be  permitted,  such  as 
apples,  vegetables,  and  other  products. 

Small  animals  should  be  excluded. 

It  should  be  built  like  a  good  barn  with 
smooth  walls  and  ceilings  and  a  cement 
floor.  Whitewash  should  be  applied  on  the 
side  walls  and  ceiling.  The  daily  cleaning 
should  be  a  thorough  one,  special  attention 
being  given  to  removing  coagulated  milk 
from  the  floor,  which  if  left  will  draw  flies 
and  collect  dirt.  The  windows  should  be 
screened,  and  precaution  taken  against  a 
draft  of  wind  laden  with  dust.  A  direct  en- 
trance from  the  barn  should  be  avoided,  or 
at  least  an  alley  or  ante  room  constructed. 

ICE  HOUSE. 

A  supply  of  ice  is  scarcely  to  be  dispensed 

95 


Clean  Milk 


with,  if  pure  milk  is  to  receive  proper  care. 
A  good  spring  should  be  considered  an 
auxiliary  in  cooling  rather  than  a  main  re- 
liance, for  seldom  is  spring  water,  without 
the  addition  of  some  ice,  cold  enough  to  re- 
duce the  temperature  sufficiently. 

One  ton  and  one  half  for  each  cow  is  a 
good  average  amount  for  a  year,  and  this  can 
generally  be  procured  in  the  country  at  a 
moderate  cost  of  labor  and  money.  If  a 
small  pond  is  not  already  available,  it  is  easy 
to  flood  a  meadow  or  dam  a  brook  in  winter 
time  and  cut  the  quantity  of  ice  needed. 

Building  the  ice  house  may  form  the  prin- 
cipal expense,  but  this  expense  is  incurred 
but  once  in  many  years  and  is  justified  by  the 
improved  quality  of  the  milk.  The  ice  house 
need  not  be  a  fine  structure  of  double  walls 
filled  with  sawdust,  for  almost  any  kind  of 
building  can  be  made  to  serve  the  purpose. 


U       T       E       IS       S       I      L      S 

CHAPTER  XI. 

THE    utensils    present    an    important 
consideration   in   the   production   of 
clean  milk.     They  will  frequently  be 
the  one  defect  in  a  good  dairy  and  in  many 
cases  are  responsible,  more  than  any  other 
one  thing,  for  an  increased  bacterial  count. 

In  their  manufacture,  cleaning,  and  stor- 
age, the  dairyman  can  accomplish  much  in 
the  way  of  improving  his  product. 

In  general,  few  articles  should  be  used  in 
the  ordinary  dairy  routine,  and  these  of  sim- 
ple construction.  Every  surface  which  milk 
touches  is  an  additional  chance  for  contam- 
ination, so  in  the  passage  from  the  cow  to 
the  consumer  the  fewer  the  vessels  it  enters 
the  better. 

Utensils  should  be  constructed  with  the 
view  of  accomplishing  three  things:  A  re- 
duction of  the  exposure  of  the  milk  con- 
tained in  them,  a  reduction  of  the  surface  it 
is  to  come  in  contact  with,  and  a  facilitation 
of  their  proper  cleaning. 

97 


Clean  Milk 


In  the  case  of  utensils  made  of  metal,  such 
as  milking  pails,  strainers,  and  cans,  close 
scrutiny  of  the  seams  and  joints  is  neces- 
sary to  insure  that  they  are  well  soldered 
and  closed.  Open  joints  or  cracks  in  the 
seams  offer  a  hold  for  coagulated  milk, 
which  is  a  medium  for  bacterial  growth  and 
is  responsible  for  the  odor  in  cans  and  has  a 
share  in  causing  milk  to  sour.  Tubs  and 
vats  made  of  slate  or  metal  are  preferable 
to  wood  because  they  are  more  easily  kept 
in  a  sanitary  condition. 

The  cleaning  of  milk  utensils  should  be 
done  with  much  care,  and  a  point  made  of 
washing  them  immediately  after  use.  This 
prompt  washing  is  very  important  and  the 
practise  of  delaying  it  for  several  hours  must 
be  severely  condemned.  The  milk  thickens 
on  the  sides  and  bottom  of  the  vessel,  while 
the  bacteria  are  increasing  at  a  tremendous 
rate,  and  when  the  cleaning  is  performed  it 
is  extra  difficult  and  rarely  accomplished 
thoroughly. 

The  odor  of  milk  vessels  is  due  to  careless 

98 


Utensils 


and  improper  methods  of  cleaning.  Uten- 
sils after  use  should  be  immediately  rinsed 
in  cold  water,  in  order  to  prevent  coagula- 
tion of  the  milk  still  in  the  vessel  and  also 
to  remove  as  much  of  this  milk  as  possible. 
Then  they  should  be  scrubbed  with  warm 
water,  to  which  has  been  added  some  solvent 
such  as  soap  or  a  washing  soda,  to  act  upon 
the  fatty  substance,  and  finally  rinsed  clean. 

The  cleaning  of  milk  utensils  is  not  com- 
plete nor  adequate  without  sterilization. 
This  is  accomplished  much  more  easily  than 
farmers  imagine,  as  an  ordinary  wash  boiler 
can  be  utilized.  These  are  usually  large 
enough  to  contain  the  pails  and  the  strainer 
at  once  or  in  not  more  than  two  or  three 
batches. 

Boiling  for  thirty  minutes  and  drying  in 
the  oven  or  on  the  stove  will  generally  ac- 
complish sterilization,  and  the  farmer  has 
the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  so  far  as  the 
cleanliness  of  his  utensils  is  concerned  he  is 
beyond  reproach. 

The   water    used    for   washing    purposes 

99 


Clean  Milk 


must  be  uncontaminated,  and  this  precau- 
tion no  dairy  farmer  can  afford  to  neglect, 
as  the  lesson  of  typhoid  epidemics  ascribed 
to  milk  plainly  teaches.  In  most  of  the 
cases  the  infection  was  traced  back  and 
definitely  fixed  on  the  wash  water.  In  the 
event  of  typhoid  in  his  own  household,  the 
farmer  should  send  no  milk  to  market. 

The  storage  of  utensils  is  very  often  done 
haphazardly  and  without  any  thought 
toward  keeping  them  clean.  They  should 
not  be  kept  in  the  barn  or  cow  yard,  where 
dirt  is  being  blown  about,  and  where  they 
are  knocked  around  or  offer  a  chance  for 
small  animals  to  get  in.  A  proper  place  is 
the  dairy,  the  spring  house,  or  the  vat  room, 
where  they  can  be  shielded  from  dust. 

The  custom  of  sun  exposure  practically 
amounts  to  a  snare  and  a  delusion  as  it  is 
rarely  performed  in  a  proper  manner. 
Usually  only  the  exterior  receives  the  bene- 
fit of  the  exposure,  as  the  utensils  are  placed 
bottom  upward  and  the  sun's  rays  cannot 

reach  the  interior. 

100 


Utensils 


When  so  placed  that  the  sun  does  affect 
the  interior,  dirt  and  flies  enter,  and  further- 
more the  residue  of  the  washing  water,  in- 
stead of  draining  off,  collects  in  the  bottom 
of  the  can.  An  enclosed  glass  box  is  an 
effective  method,  as  it  permits  of  the  sun 
exposure  as  well  as  guarding  against  dirt 
reaching  the  inside  of  the  utensils. 

The  wide  topped,  coverless  milking  pail,  at 
present  so  much  in  use,  should  be  abandoned 
for  a  pail  with  a  narrower  opening,  about 
eight  inches  in  diameter,  and  accompanied 
by  a  cover.  This  cover  should  always  be 
upon  the  pail  to  protect  the  interior,  once  it 
is  cleaned,  and  to  protect  the  milk  while 
being  carried  from  place  to  place.  When  a 
man  is  milking,  this  cover  should  not  be  laid 
carelessly  on  the  floor,  but  hung,  top  upward, 
on  a  convenient  hook.  After  milking,  the 
cover  should  immediately  be  placed  on  the 
pail  and  not  removed  until  the  milk  is  about 
to  be  poured  through  the  strainer.  Many 
excellent  dairies  are  deficient  in  this  particu- 
lar.   The  milk  is  carried  in  wide,  uncovered 

101 


Clean  Milk 


pails  from  the  cow  to  the  straining  room,  a 
distance  of  anywhere  from  twenty-five  to 
one  hundred  feet,  across  a  cow  yard,  under  a 
hay  loft,  or  past  a  manure  pile,  with  a  large 
surface  of  warm  milk  exposed  to  falling  dirt 
and  prevalent  odors. 

The  strainer  is  a  utensil  that  theoretically 
should  not  be  used.  If  milk  were  produced 
in  a  clean  manner,  the  dirt  that  the  strainer 
is  expected  to  remove  would  not  get  into 
the  milk,  so  straining  would  be  unnecessary. 

No  reliance  can  be  placed  on  the  strainer's 
ability  to  make  up  for  previous  careless 
handling  of  milk.  Bacterial  dirt  once  in 
milk  has  done  its  harm,  and  the  strainer  will 
certainly  not  reduce,  and  most  probably  does 
increase,  the  bacteria  already  present. 

For  this  reason  it  cannot  be  kept  too  scru- 
pulously clean,  and  should  be  boiled  for  an 
hour  and  dried  in  the  oven  at  least  once,  and 
preferably  twice,  a  day. 

The  best  strainer  for  the  average  dairy- 
man is  a  metal  vessel  with  a  100-wire  mesh, 
set  in  the  sides  rather  than  the  bottom  of 

102 


Utensils 


the  vessel.  This  wire  should  be  replaced 
once  it  becomes  broken  or  rusted,  and  in 
cleaning  should  be  scrubbed  with  a  small, 
stiff  bristle  brush. 

When  milk  is  strained  through  a  cloth, 
such  as  canton  flannel,  cheesecloth,  Turkish 
towelling,  or  thick  linen,  the  cloth  must  be 
kept  scrupulously  clean.  After  being 
washed  in  the  manner  prescribed  for  wash- 
ing milk  utensils,  they  should  be  sterilized 
by  baking  in  the  oven  for  thirty  minutes, 
wrapped  in  paper  or  cloth,  and  kept  wrapped 
until  required  for  use. 

Absorbent  cotton,  when  used  for  strain- 
ing, should  be  used  only  once  and  then 
destroyed. 

The  receiving  can,  usually  the  typical 
forty-quart  can  familiar  to  every  one,  is  the 
responsibility  of  the  dealer.  He  should  not 
only  furnish  cans  which  are  constructed 
properly  as  to  material,  tight  seams,  etc.,  but 
he  should  deliver  these  cans  to  the  farmer 
daily,  in  such  condition  that  the  latter  need 
only  remove  the  cover  to  pour  in  the  milk 

103 


Clean  Milk 


and  then  replace  it,  not  to  be  removed  again 
until  the  milk  is  delivered  out  of  the  farmer's 
charge.  This  can  be  accomplished  by  clean- 
ing the  cans  at  the  country  receiving  station, 
sterilizing  them,  and  delivering  them  to  the 
farmer,  who  may  take  them  away  covered 
and  keep  them  so  until  ready  to  fill  them 
with  milk. 

It  should  be  an  invariable  rule  that  milk 
cans  are  to  be  used  for  no  other  purpose 
than  to  contain  milk  on  its  way  from  the 
dairy  to  the  receiving  station. 

The  milking  stool  deserves  a  word.  As 
this  is  handled  by  the  milker  at  least  twice 
for  every  cow  milked,  it  follows  that  it 
should  be  clean,  and  not  in  a  condition  to 
defile  the  hands.  Some  farmers  have  recog- 
nized this  and  regularly  boil  them. 


THE     BOTTLING     OF     MILK 

CHAPTER  Xn. 

THE  advantages  of  bottled  milk  over 
the  old  style  "dipped"  milk  are  so 
generally  recognized  that  it  is  hard- 
ly necessary  to  make  a  recommendation. 

The  exposure  of  dipped  milk  to  contam- 
inating sources  is  endless.  The  forty-quart 
can  will  be  opened  a  hundred  times  on  a 
dirty,  ill-smelling  wagon,  standing  in  numer- 
ous streets  and  avenues,  whose  atmospheres 
register  a  tremendous  bacterial  count,  or  in 
a  retailer's  shop,  with  its  dirt  and  odors  and 
the  long  procession  of  customers  of  every 
degree  of  contamination  or  infection. 

When  hawked  about  from  house  to  house 
and  family  to  family  the  exposure  is  even 
worse.  Bottled  milk,  on  the  contrary,  means 
a  small  quantity,  and  frequently  the  exact 
and  entire  supply  of  a  family,  protected 
from  the  moment  it  is  bottled  and  covered 
until  delivered  for  use. 

In  the  process  of  bottling  this  milk  also 
undergoes  an  inspection,  and  the  consequent 

105 


Clean  Milk 


expulsion  of  sundry  strange  inhabitants 
which  have  entered  at  the  farm,  and  in  the 
case  of  dipped  milk  would  have  continued 
their  journey  for  forty-eight  hours  longer. 

While  bottled  milk  is  in  general  to  be 
preferred  to  dipped  milk,  it  must  not,  how- 
ever, be  permitted  to  masquerade  as  a  supe- 
rior article  merely  because  it  is  a  small 
quantity  contained  in  glass,  instead  of  a 
large  quantity  contained  in  tin. 

If  bottled  milk  is  to  deserve  its  superiority 
over  dipped  milk  the  bottling  must  be  done 
in  a  proper  manner.  The  question  to  be 
asked  is  not  "  Is  it  bottled  milk?  "  but  "  How 
is  it  bottled?  "  The  good  work  done  by  the 
milker  in  protecting  milk  against  exposure 
must  be  continued  by  the  bottler,  and  the 
rules  which  guide  the  milker  can  also  be 
laid  down  for  the  bottler.  The  exposure  of 
milk  must  be  as  small,  as  harmless,  and 
as  short  as  possible.  The  bottling  room, 
whether  at  the  dairy  or  the  large  bottling 
establishment,  must  be  cut  off  from  the  other 
rooms  and  form  a  separate,  isolated  room. 

106 


The  Bottling  of  Milk 


It  should  be  constructed  with  the  same  idea 
in  mind  that  the  great  surgeon  follows  when 
he  plans  his  operating  room.  Contamina- 
tion must  be  reduced  to  a  minimum.  The 
place  is  to  be  kept  immaculately  clean,  and 
the  construction  of  it  should  further  the 
accomplishment  of  this.  The  walls  and  ceil- 
ing should  be  smooth,  and  with  the  floor  and 
the  fixtures  be  cleaned  daily  by  flushing  and 
steaming. 

Provision  by  means  of  screens  and  shades 
should  be  made  against  the  blowing  in  of 
dust  and  the  entrance  of  flies,  as  well  as  the 
sun's  rays  heating  the  room. 

Adjoining  the  bottling  room,  or  set  into 
one  of  the  walls,  should  be  the  sterilizer, 
which  is  an  indispensable  part  of  every  bot- 
tling establishment.  The  sterilizer,  to 
facilitate  the  work  and  assist  in  reducing 
the  exposure  of  milk,  should  connect  the 
bottling  and  the  cleaning  rooms.  Once  the 
bottles  have  been  cleaned  they  are  to  be 
put  in  the  sterilizer  at  the  wash  room  end, 
and  after  sterilization  taken  out  from  the 

107 


Clean  Milk 


bottling  room  end.  At  many  establishments 
it  has  been  found  practicable  to  make  the 
sterilizer  large  enough  to  contain  all  the 
bottles,  and  thereby  use  it  as  storage  place 
until  they  are  needed.  This  is  far  more 
advantageous  than  the  custom  of  standing 
them  in  open  racks,  exposed  to  all  the  con- 
tamination of  a  large  factory  room. 

The  persons  engaged  in  the  bottling 
should  be  selected  for  their  fitness,  with  as 
much  and  even  more  care  than  the  milkers. 
In  bottling  milk  is  subjected  to  its  greatest 
exposure,  and  the  process  brings  the  work- 
ers in  closer  contact  with  it.  Their  health, 
personal  habits,  and  manner  of  working 
should  be  considered,  and,  like  the  milkers, 
they  should  make  a  careful  toilet  before 
work  and  wear  clean  working  suits  while 
engaged  near  unprotected  milk.  They 
should  be  the  only  persons  allowed  to  enter 
the  bottling  room  while  milk  is  exposed,  and 
for  this  reason  arrangements  should  be 
made  by  which  milk  is  brought  into  the 
bottling  room,  and  the  filled  bottles  passed 

108 


The  Bottling  of  Milk 


out,  without  the  milker  or  those  engaged  in 
the  packing  and  shipping  entering. 

Bottling  should  be  done  quickly  and  neat- 
ly, and  the  capping  and  covering  keep  pace 
with  the  filling.  The  practise  of  delaying 
the  covering  until  a  large  number  of  bottles 
is  filled  is  a  bad  one,  as  it  means  a  longer 
exposure  of  the  bottled  milk  than  is  neces- 
sary. The  pasteboard  caps,  which  must  also 
be  sterilized,  should  be  handled  in  a  cleanly 
manner,  and  not  laid  around  in  dirty  places. 

The  overflow  from  the  bottling  table  is 
unfit  to  be  bottled,  and  this  milk  should  not 
be  offered  for  human  consumption. 

As  soon  as  milk  is  bottled  the  bottle 
should  be  packed  in  ice  ready  for  shipment. 
The  boxes  should  have  covers  and  be  deep 
enough  to  hold  sufficient  ice  to  cover  the 
tops  of  the  bottles,  as  the  cream,  rising  to 
the  top,  contains  more  bacteria  than  the  rest 
of  the  milk,  and  needs  thorough  icing. 

All  utensils  and  vessels  used  in  bottling 
milk  are  subject  to  the  same  requirements 
as  other  milk  vessels.    They  should  be  con- 

109 


Clean  Milk 


structed  with  a  view  to  reducing  the  sur- 
faces coming  in  contact  with  milk,  and 
thought  should  be  given  to  avoiding  corners 
and  other  lodgments  for  coagulated  milk. 
Whenever  possible,  covers  should  be  pro- 
vided for  openings  or  open  vessels,  such  as 
receiving  vats,  carriers,  and  fillers.  All 
utensils  must  be  cleaned  in  the  manner 
prescribed  for  milk  vessels,  and  also  steri- 
lized. The  vents  of  the  bottle  filler  require 
boiling  to  clean  them  properly. 

Bottles  need  thorough  cleaning  with  cold 
and  hot  water,  a  soda  solvent,  and  a  brush, 
and  must  also  be  sterilized.  Sterilization  of 
milk  bottles  in  their  routine  passage  from 
bottling  room  to  consumer  and  back  again 
is  very  necessary.  The  dealer  who  does  not 
provide  for  this  is  criminally  neglectful  of 
the  sanitary  requirements  of  his  business. 
The  bottles  are  his  property,  are  furnished 
by  him  for  the  use  of  his  customers,  and  the 
responsibility  for  any  infection  due  to  them 
may  be  laid  to  him.  The  vicissitudes  of  a 
milk  bottle  are  beyond  any  one's  control, 

no 


The  Bottling  of  Milk 


and  the  uses  to  which  it  is  put,  the  thousand 
and  one  exposures  it  undergoes,  and  the 
varying  customers  it  serves  require  that  it 
shall  be  subjected  to  the  simple  and  ade- 
quate precaution  of  sterilization. 

Bottling  for  the  small  farmer  is  subject  to 
the  same  requirements.  The  bottling  room 
should  be  clean  and  kept  in  a  sanitary  con- 
dition; it  should  not  be  directly  connected 
with  the  house  or  the  cow  barn,  and  precau- 
tions taken  against  the  entrance  of  flies 
and  dirt. 

The  sterilization  can  be  accomplished  by 
the  use  of  a  wash  boiler  if  no  other  means 
are  available. 

The  packing  and  shipping  should  be  done 
apart,  and  the  milker  excluded  from  the 
bottling  room.  The  milk  pails  could  be 
passed  through  a  window  or  door,  or  the 
milk  poured  through  an  opening  in  the  wall 
into  a  receiving  vat.  From  this  receiving 
vat  the  milk  can  be  directly  bottled,  warm 
as  it  is,  and  cooled  later  by  the  ice  covering 
the  bottle  in  the  shipping  box. 
ill 


Clean  Milk 


Dairy  farmers  who  use  a  cooler  should 
keep  this  utensil  scrupulously  clean,  sterilize 
it,  and,  until  it  is  to  be  used,  covered  with  an 
enveloping  cloth  or  a  bag  with  drawing 
strings.  The  ice  must  be  put  in  before  the 
cloth  is  removed,  that  dirt  from  the  ice  may 
not  fall  on  the  surface  over  which  the  milk 
is  to  flow.  The  use  of  this  additional  utensil 
and  the  extra  handling  of  milk  may  be  ad- 
vantageous for  the  clean  dairyman,  who 
really  wants  to  cool  the  milk  thereby,  but 
the  man  who  will  not  take  sufficient  care  in 
this  process  would  better  not  do  it  at  all, 
as  his  milk  is  probably  better  before  passing 
over  the  cooler  than  after. 

Dairymen  would  do  well  to  consider  what 
they  expect  to  accomplish  by  using  the 
cooler.  If  they  want  to  cool  milk  in  that 
way,  and  find  it  a  saving  of  ice,  well  and 
good.  But  if  they  seek  to  remove  odors  from 
milk,  they  are  working  along  wrong  lines. 
The  so-called  cow  odor  is  removed  in  the  best 
and  quickest  way  by  keeping  manure  out  of 
milk.     Food  odors  can  be  practically  kept 

112 


The  Bottling  of  Milk 


out  by  keeping  the  food  and  the  odor  away 
from  warm  milk,  and  by  feeding  such  foods 
several  hours  before  or  just  after  milking. 
Odors  will  be  removed  by  aeration,  but  the 
milk  must  be  aerated  warm.  And  in  per- 
forming aeration  the  dairyman  should 
assure  himself  that  the  removal  of  odors  by 
such  exposure  does  not  become  a  greater 
evil  through  the  introduction  of  countless 
bacteria  and  the  absorption  of  the  prevalent 
odor  of  the  place  where  the  aeration  takes 
place. 


lis 


THE 
O  F 

O  P  P 
THE 

ORTUNITY 
DEALER 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

IT  will  hardly  be  disputed  that  the  per- 
son with  most  at  stake  in  the  milk  busi- 
ness is  the  dealer,  the  man  who  buys  the 
milk  from  the  dairy  farmer  and  sells  it,  by 
retail  or  wholesale,  to  the  consumer.  His 
city  depots  and  country  factories,  with  the 
equipment  of  a  widespread  delivery  system 
and  a  manifold  paraphernalia  of  bottles, 
cans,  and  boxes,  form  a  very  large  financial 
investment,  and  with  this  is  also  pledged  his 
personal  reputation. 

In  addition  to  the  cares  and  troubles 
inseparable  from  any  commercial  enterprise, 
the  milk  dealer  is  constantly  engaged  in 
maintaining  a  delicate  equilibrium  between 
his  farmer  and  his  customer,  the  main  props 
to  his  business.  The  exactions  and  require- 
ments of  the  one  must  be  fulfilled  by  the 
other;  the  cause  and  the  remedy  for  com- 
plaints are  usually  sought  at  the  farm,  and 
the   conditions   there   are   reflected   in   the 

J  24 


The  Opportunity  of  the  Dealer 


operations  in  the  city.  Inasmuch  as  the 
dealer  is  thus  intimately  concerned  in  the 
status  of  his  farmers,  it  may  not  be  too  much 
to  suggest  that  the  dealer  should  know  his 
farmer  as  man  to  man;  that  with  the  busi- 
ness relations  should  go  hand  in  hand  a  per- 
sonal one,  from  which  could  result  a  better 
knowledge  and  understanding  of  each 
other's  difficulties  and  through  this  a  cor- 
dial co-operation  for  the  betterment  of  their 
mutual  interests.  Certainly  the  dealer  can 
Work  great  improvement  at  the  dairy  farms, 
and  he  is  the  man  to  do  it. 

His  moral  influence  in  a  dairy  community 
can  count  for  much,  and  in  one  way  at 
least,  if  in  no  other,  can  this  be  exerted. 
This  is  in  the  matter  of  handling  and  pro- 
tecting milk  once  the  farmer  delivers  it  into 
his  charge.  In  other  words,  the  dealer's 
country  establishment,  be  it  creamery,  ship- 
ping station,  or  what  not,  should  be  an 
object  lesson  in  the  care  of  milk. 

Further,  he  could  erect  a  model  cow  barn 
and  maintain  a  dairy  that  would  be  a  school 

115 


Clean  Mill; 


of  instruction  and  an  experiment  station.  It 
should  be  conducted  on  strictly  business 
principles,  with  practical  dairy  methods  and 
a  system  of  operations  in  vogue  that  any 
farmer  could  duplicate.  The  plans  of  the 
buildings,  the  cost  of  erecting  and  maintain- 
ing them,  the  cost  of  the  herd  and  the  profit 
from  it,  indeed,  every  item  connected  with 
the  establishment,  should  be  freely  offered 
for  the  inspection  of  the  dealer's  farmers 
and  available  for  their  use.  It  should  be  a 
practical  demonstration  of  what  a  dairy 
farmer  can  do  in  the  matter  of  profit,  in  the 
matter  of  producing  good  milk,  and  in  the 
matter  of  keeping  it  clean. 

An  opportunity  for  the  dealer  to  exercise 
profitable  philanthropy  is  in  the  institution 
of  hospital  barns  and  quarantine  quarters 
for  his  dairy  communities.  It  is  not  sup- 
posed that  these  should  be  conducted  on  a 
charitable  basis,  but  rather  be  self-support- 
ing. Where  dairy  farmers  in  the  vicinity  of 
such  an  institution  number  from  fifty  to  one 
hundred,  and  their  herds  approach  in  round 

116 


The  Opportunity  of  the  Dealer 


numbers  five  hundred  to  a  thousand  animals, 
the  provision  for  efficient  veterinary  service 
and  proper  treatment  of  sick  animals  would 
seem  welcome  and  likely  to  be  repaid. 

When  milk  is  once  delivered  on  the  deal- 
er's premises  it  should  be  beyond  any  further 
risk  of  contamination  or  deterioration.  The 
dealer  owes  it  to  the  farmer  on  the  one  hand, 
and  to  his  customer  on  the  other,  that  hence- 
forth the  care  and  protection  of  this  milk 
should  be  beyond  cavil  or  reproach.  The 
farmer  stands  for  a  large  number  of  individ- 
uals working  under  certain  difficulties,  and 
allowance  is  made  thereby  for  some  short- 
comings at  the  dairy.  But  at  the  dealer's 
establishment  conditions  are  different.  It 
is  one  place  subtending  fifty  or  a  hundred 
dairies,  its  requirements  are  comparatively 
few  and  simple,  definitely  known,  and  can  be 
readily  provided  for. 

The  milk  is  to  be  received  from  the  far- 
mers, at  once  thoroughly  iced,  and  kept  iced 
until  delivered  for  use.  If  it  is  to  be  bottled, 
the  bottling  room  and  the  process  of  bottling 

117 


Clean  Mi  Ik- 


can  be  arranged  to  insure  perfect  care  of  the 
milk.  The  bottling  of  milk  at  the  country 
establishment  is  the  most  important  part  of 
its  routine,  and  usually  its  most  glaring 
weakness.  If  this  were  accomplished  prop- 
erly the  whole  tone  of  the  establishment 
would  tend  to  improve. 

In  the  receiving  of  milk  from  the  farmers 
there  is  usually  to  be  found  some  objection- 
able features.  One  is  pumping  milk  to  a 
gallery  or  upper  floor  and  another  is  admit- 
ting the  farmers  in  close  proximity  to  the 
exposed  milk  in  vats  or  in  process  of 
bottling. 

The  pumping  of  milk  is  most  reprehen- 
sible, as  the  extent  of  pipe  surface  it  touches 
is  considerable  and  the  piping  is  difficult  to 
clean  thoroughly.  Furthermore,  the  desired 
result,  namely,  the  securing  of  sufficient 
"  fall  "  for  the  flow  of  milk,  can  be  accom- 
plished in  a  much  more  satisfactory  way.  It 
should  be  planned  that  the  wagons  drive  up 
to  a  sufficient  elevation  to  deliver  on  the  up- 
per floor,  or  gallery.    When  the  building  sets 

118 


The  Opportunity  of  the  Dealer 


against  a  hillside  this  is  readily  accom- 
plished, and  even  when  on  level  ground  a 
bridge  driveway  six  to  eight  feet  high  can 
be  built  at  a  cost  that  is  more  than  justified 
by  the  improvement  in  handing  the  milk. 

The  receiving  room  should  be  enclosed  and 
cut  off  from  the  bottling  room.  It  is  not 
unusual  to  find  one  large  room  in  which  milk 
is  flowing  over  an  immense  uncovered  cooler 
into  uncovered  vats,  and  thence  through  the 
various  stages  of  bottling,  while  at  a  wide 
doorway  farmers  are  driving  up,  depositing 
their  cans,  and  standing  by  while  the  con- 
tents are  weighed  or  measured. 

It  follows  as  a  matter  of  course  that  the 
bottling  room  should  adjoin  the  receiving 
room,  that  the  passage  of  the  milk  from  one 
to  the  other  may  be  as  short  and  accom- 
plished in  as  simple  a  manner  as  possible. 
In  cases  where  the  bottling  cannot  keep  pace 
with  the  delivery  it  is  necessary  that  the 
milk  be  received  in  vats,  but  there  is  no  rea- 
son why  these  vats  should  not  be  covered. 

At  some  stage  in  the  routine  of  passing 

119 


Clean  Mill; 


from  the  receiving  to  the  bottling  room  the 
milk  should  receive  its  last  necessary  strain- 
ing, but  preferably  should  not  be  strained 
into  the  bottle  filler.  Where  this  is  done 
properly  by  the  use  of  a  good  wire  mesh 
strainer  little  objection  can  be  made,  but  the 
usual  method  of  using  loose  cheesecloth, 
which  is  constantly  slipping  into  the  milk, 
is  far  worse  than  no  straining  at  all. 

The  requirements  for  bottling  and  the 
need  of  an  isolated  room  for  the  purpose 
have  previously  been  indicated  in  the  chap- 
ter on  Bottling  Milk.  Once  milk  is  bottled 
and  kept  tightly  covered  the  danger  of  ex- 
ternal contamination  is  practically  elimin- 
ated. There  remains  only  one  thing  to  do 
henceforth,  and  that  is,  pile  on  ice.  Not  only 
at  the  country  establishment  and  on  the 
railroad  train,  but  also,  and  more  particu- 
larly, when  on  the  delivery  wagons  in  the 
city,  should  bottled  milk  be  kept  iced.  Care- 
ful dealers  have  come  to  recognize  this,  and 
now  provide  stations  where  their  delivery 

men  re-ice  in  the  course  of  the  morning's 

120 


The  Opportunity  of  the  Dealer 


delivery.  Too  much  labor  and  watchfulness 
has  been  expended  in  protecting  milk  at  its 
danger  period  to  be  turned  to  naught 
through  the  lack  of  sufficient  icing  during 
delivery. 

The  cleanliness  of  cans  has  a  far  more 
important  bearing  on  the  production  of  clean 
milk  than  many  dealers  suppose.  If  a  far- 
mer be  given  a  can  actually  clean  and  ster- 
ilized he  is  relieved  of  one  labor  which,  with 
his  limited  facilities,  he  can  hardly  do  prop- 
erly. He  may  keep  the  can  covered,  and  so 
protected  against  contamination,  until  just 
before  he  fills  it  with  milk;  when  filled  he 
may  recover  it  promptly,  ignoring  the  ex- 
ploded "  animal  odor  "  idea,  and  let  the  ani- 
mal heat  subside  in  the  usual  process  of 
cooling. 

The  reduction  in  harmful  exposure  accom- 
plished by  furnishing  to  the  farmer  cans  in 
proper  condition  is  so  great  that  it  would 
repay  any  dealer  to  provide  for  it.  It  only 
means  doing  thoroughly  what  is  now  done 

carelessly,  that  is,  the  washing  of  the  cans, 
121 


Clean  Milk 


and,  in  addition,  the  installation  of  a  steril- 
izer, which  at  most  is  not  a  heavy  expendi- 
ture, and  in  a  pinch  could  be  built  by  the 
dealer's  employees. 

It  is  hardly  expected  that  cans  will  be 
thoroughly  cleaned  while  the  farmer  waits 
for  them.  A  double  set  is  required,  but  this 
provision  is  frequently  of  itself  an  econ- 
omy, and  numerous  dealers  have  already 
adopted  it. 

Once  the  cans  are  emptied  of  milk  they 
should  be  rinsed  in  cold  water  to  prevent 
coagulation  of  the  milk  remaining  in  the 
can  and  also  to  remove  as  much  as  possible 
of  this  milk.  Then  they  should  be  scrubbed 
in  hot  water,  to  which  has  been  added  a  sol- 
vent, and  finally  rinsed  in  clean  hot  water. 
They  are  then  ready  to  be  put  upside  down 
in  the  sterilizer,  and,  after  sterilization  and 
drying,  covered,  and  the  cans  stored  in  racks 
ready  for  the  farmers  to  secure  them  on  the 
following  morning. 


122 


MARKET       MILK 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

AFTER  all  has  been  said  and  done  in 
the  movement  for  clean  milk,  the 
great  question  is  still:  "What  of 
the  market  milk?"  the  millions  of  quarts 
consumed  daily  by  the  public  institutions, 
the  hotels  and  eating  places,  and  by  the 
great  mass  of  the  population,  who  seem  to 
know  little  and  care  less  about  the  food  they 
eat.  Cheapness  is  the  one  consideration, 
and  low-priced  milk  is  accepted,  regardless 
of  the  condition  of  the  dairies,  the  health 
and  treatment  of  the  cows,  and  the  unclean 
persons  handling  the  milk.  It  seems  like 
trying  to  help  people  who  will  not  help 
themselves,  but  in  the  progress  of  the  move- 
ment for  clean  milk  this  phase  of  it  must 
sooner  or  later  receive  attention.  It  is  so 
great  and  affects  so  large  a  proportion  of 
the  population  that  eventually  the  State 
will  have  to  grapple  with  it.  Until  then, 
what  can  be  done?  The  dealers  engaged  in 
purveying  this  immense  quantity  are  either 

123 


Clean  Milk 


indifferent  or  benumbed  with  helplessness. 
They  see  no  advantage  in  improving  the 
methods  at  their  dairies,  while  their  cus- 
tomers, not  yet  alive  to  the  truly  remarkable 
value  of  this  almost  indispensable  food,  will 
not  contribute  the  additional  fraction  neces- 
sary for  an  improved  article.  Whatever 
plan  is  devised,  then,  must  appeal  to  the 
dealer  and  the  farmer  as  accruing  to  their 
advantage;  it  should  call  for  very  little  addi- 
tional expense  to  either  party,  and  the  less 
it  changes  the  present  routine  the  more 
favorable  is  likely  to  be  its  reception.  Such 
a  plan  is  here  advanced.  It  requires  of  the 
dealer  only  that  he  shall  thoroughly  wash 
and  sterilize  the  forty-quart  cans  furnished 
to  the  farmer.  The  latter  is  asked  in  turn 
to  do  these  things : 

Keep  the  cows'  flanks  clear  of  manure  by 
using  an  old  broom  daily. 

Use  only  pure  water  in  the  barn  and  the 
dairy. 

Avoid  contact  with  contagious  diseases. 

Wash  his  hands  before  milking. 

124 


m:bcolS°ub^ 


Market  Milk 


Boil  his  milking  pail  and  strainer. 

Cover  the  forty-quart  can  as  soon  as  filled, 
and  keep  it  covered. 

Cool  the  milk,  either  by  icing  or  putting 
the  cans  in  vats. 

Milk  produced  according  to  these  direc- 
tions is  not  likely  to  be  a  vehicle  for  the 
transmission  of  the  germs  of  the  cummunic- 
able  diseases,  and  should  show  a  bacterial 
count  of  not  more  than  100,000  per  c.c.  What 
this  means  in  the  way  of  improvement  is  evi- 
dent if  it  be  considered  that  much  of  the 
daily  supply  in  New  York  city  shows  a  count 
of  millions  of  bacteria  per  c.c. 

It  should  be  evident  that  the  dealer,  as  a 
return  for  some  extra  care  in  cleaning  cans 
and  the  installation  of  a  sterilizer,  which,  it 
must  be  remembered,  is  not  an  expensive 
machine,  not  only  obtains  an  improvement 
in  the  general  keeping  qualities  of  his  com- 
modity, but,  furthermore,  has  a  definite 
assurance  of  cleanliness. 

The  farmer,  also,  can  assure  himself  that 
he  is  producing  a  better  article,  and  doing  it 

125 


Clean  Milk 


with  hardly  appreciable  additional  labor 
and  expense.  If  keeping  the  cows  free  of 
manure  and  boiling  his  utensils  be  an  added 
labor,  they  are  practically  offset  by  the  sim- 
plification of  his  routine,  as  the  covering  of 
the  can  immediately  relieves  him  of  much 
other  care  and  trouble. 

It  is  expected  that  objections  will  be  made 
to  this  plan  on  the  score  of  "  animal  odor  " 
and  animal  heat.  The  animal  odor  bugaboo 
should  have  been  banished  long  ago,  and  it 
is  high  time  that  dairy  farmers  learn  that 
the  so-called  "  cowy  odor  "  is  due  to  manure, 
a  statement  which  is  capable  of  being  easily 
demonstrated. 

Animal  heat  is  the  heat  natural  in  milk 
when  at  body  temperature,  and  differs  in  no 
way  from  other  heat.  Keduce  the  tempera- 
ture and  you  reduce  the  animal  heat.  Ani- 
mal heat  is  only  harmful  because  it  allows 
the  bacteria,  which  entered  with  the  dirt,  to 
grow  and  ferment  the  milk. 

Recurring  to  the  scientist  who  draws  milk 
from  the  teat  of  the  cow  through  a  glass 

126 


Market  Milk 


tube  into  a  glass  bottle.  He  surely  imprisons 
animal  heat  in  his  bottle  of  milk,  yet  be- 
cause no  bacteria  entered  it  will  keep  sweet 
for  years  at  room  temperature. 

Full  cognizance  is  taken  of  the  conditions 
likely  to  prevail  at  dairies.  It  is  even  ex- 
pected that  this  plan  shall  be  put  in  force 
at  establishments  where  the  cow  stables 
shall  be  in  an  extremely  filthy  state,  and  it 
is  devised  to  meet  just  such  conditions. 
Until  adequate  measures  are  taken  to  im- 
prove unsanitary  establishments  the  present 
evils  should  be  mitigated  as  much  as  pos- 
sible. No  matter  how  defective  and  unclean 
a  dairy  may  be,  it  is  believed  that  the  simple 
rules  laid  down  will  be  effective  in  producing 
a  reasonably  clean  milk.  They  have  been 
tested  at  a  hundred  isolated  establishments 
under  the  most  varying  circumstances,  and 
the  results  have  always  been  satisfactory. 
In  one  dairy  community  in  New  York  State 
the  system  has  been  in  successful  operation 
for  months,  the  daily  production  amounting 
to  three  thousand  quarts. 

127 


THE     DUTY     OF     THE 
CONSUMER 

CHAPTER  XV. 

IT  would  be  strange  indeed  if  no  responsi- 
bility rested  on  the  person  for  whom  the 
dairy  farmer  and  the  milk  dealer  have 
been  roused  to  better  efforts  in  their  activi- 
ties. The  custom  has  long  been  to  attack 
the  milk  problem  at  the  producer's  end,  and 
while  the  wisdom  of  this  course  is  unques- 
tionable it  should  be  apparent  that,  once  the 
production  of  milk  is  raised  to  a  satisfactory 
standard,  the  attention  of  the  consumer  of 
milk  should  be  directed  to  what  this  im- 
provement entails.  After  all,  it  is  the  con- 
sumer who  is  the  cause  of  solicitude,  whose 
protection  enlists  the  interest  of  scientific 
societies  and  prompts  the  watchfulness  of 
health  officials. 

This  precious  individual  has  heretofore 
been  guarded  against  deception  in  the  mat- 
ter of  the  chemical  properties  of  milk.  Now 
and  henceforth  there  is  the  assurance  of 
esthetic  and  hygienic  safeguards.  Not  even 
the  most  exquisite  palate  need  hesitate  to 

128 


The  Duty  of  the  Consumer 


drink  milk,  as  it  is  doubtful  if  any  other 
article  of  food  is  now  produced  with  the 
same  attendant  cleanliness  through  all  its 
various  handlings.  Immunity  against  the 
communication  of  disease  has  been  amply 
provided  by  the  utilization  of  modern  scien- 
tific knowledge.  What  is  beyond  the  power 
of  the  householder,  namely,  a  knowledge  and 
a  supervision  of  the  source  of  the  family  food 
supply,  has  been  accomplished  for  him,  by 
the  co-operation  of  health  officials,  physi- 
cians, milk  dealers,  and  dairy  farmers. 
Under  an  inspected  system  of  milk  produc- 
tion there  is  assured  to  the  consumer  a  scru- 
tiny of  the  methods  and  the  equipment  of  the 
dairy  farm  whence  comes  the  family  supply. 
The  fact  that  so  important  a  food  as  milk 
is  placed  beyond  suspicion  as  to  the  manner 
of  its  production  should  be  cause  for  public 
rejoicing.  It  should  inspire  in  the  consumer 
of  milk  a  confidence  regarding  it,  and  induce 
him  to  use  more  of  it,  as  milk,  in  food  value, 
is  unsurpassed  by  any  other  one  article  util- 
ized for  the  sustenance  of  life. 

129 


Clean  Milk 


This  notable  advance  in  hygienic  food  pro- 
duction calls  for  public  acknowledgment 
and  deserves  proper  appreciation  by  all  per- 
sons interested  in  the  purity  of  the  food  they 
eat.  In  domestic  economy,  the  improved 
methods  at  present  in  vogue  in  the  kitchen 
and  diniDg  room  indicate  the  progress  of 
modern  civilization,  and  if  the  producer  of 
food  in  the  field  of  his  activity  has  accom- 
plished an  advance  comparable  to  that 
which  has  taken  place  in  the  preparation 
and  in  the  service  of  food,  his  achievement  is 
certainly  noteworthy  and  deserving  of  com- 
pensation. The  best  type  of  milk  dealer  has 
put  on  public  sale  a  food  commodity  whose 
production  challenges  comparison  with  any- 
thing done  in  the  cleanest  kitchen  in  the 
land.  The  consumer  should  consider  the  milk 
dealer's  regard  for  cleanliness  as  a  personal 
service,  and  as  he  is  a  merchant,  not  an  altru- 
ist, the  acknowledgment  should  be  made  in  a 
very  practical  way,  namely,  by  paying  him 
a  fair  price  for  the  article. 

What  a  bottle  of  clean  milk,  produced  in 

130 


The  Duty  of  the  Consumer 


accordance  with  the  new  requirements  of 
dairying,  represents  should  be  brought  to  the 
attention  of  every  householder.  Few  can 
have  any  knowledge  or  supervision  of  their 
food  supply,  but  the  consciousness  that  milk, 
at  least,  may  be  placed  above  suspicion 
marks  a  most  important  advance  in  hygienic 
food  production.  The  consumer  of  milk  may, 
for  a  slight  additional  cost,  obtain  the 
assurance  that  the  milk  brought  into  the 
house  has  been  produced  with  attendant 
cleanliness  and  hygienic  safeguards  far  in 
advance  of  the  methods  pursued  in  the  aver- 
age kitchen.  This  assurance  stands  for 
healthy  animals  receiving  humane  treat- 
ment, the  milking  performed  amid  cleanly 
surroundings,  by  workers  who  have  carefully 
prepared  for  their  task;  the  milk  received 
into  vessels  cleaned  far  better  than  most 
kitchen  utensils,  and,  once  in  these  vessels, 
henceforth  protected  against  contamination, 
preserved  in  a  proper  manner,  and  delivered 
to  the  consumer  with  its  entire  history  ac- 
companying it. 

131 


Clean  Milk 


To  point  out  to  the  consumer  a  duty  in 
connection  with  this  superior  milk  should  be 
unnecessary.  It  is  usually  the  women  of  the 
family  who  are  charged  with  the  purchasing 
of  food,  and  it  is  for  them  to  decide  whether 
the  labors  of  scientific  workers  and  the  en- 
terprise of  dealers  and  farmers  shall  be 
fruitless  or  not.  No  better  field  for  civic 
labor  and  the  advancement  of  the  public 
good  is  offered  than  the  seconding  of  these 
efforts  for  the  improvement  of  the  milk  sup- 
ply. A  woman  should  consider  her  family 
milk  supply  as  of  the  first  importance;  it 
should  not  be  left  to  servants  or  the  janitor 
to  decide  what  dealer  shall  supply  the  milk. 
She  herself  should  take  an  interest  in  it  and 
make  inquiries  as  to  the  source  of  supply 
and  the  manner  of  producing  it.  When  she 
bestows  her  patronage  on  the  dealer  who 
has  expended  money  and  labor  to  secure  a 
good  milk  she  has  the  satisfaction  of  know- 
ing that  her  discrimination  in  his  favor, 
against  the  dealer  who  does  not  care,  counts 
for  widespread  benefit.     It  stands  for  the 

132 


The  Duty  of  the  Consumer 


encouragement  of  the  conscientious  dealer, 
a  more  adequate  payment  of  the  dairy  far- 
mer, and  the  improvement  of  the  milk  supply 
of  the  poor  who  cannot  afford  to  pay  for  a 
special  milk. 

The  family  physician,  as  part  of  his  duty  to 
his  patients,  should  be  in  a  position  to 
recommend  milk  produced  with  proper  sani- 
tary precautions;  and  if  he  be  deficient  the 
consumer  has  recourse  to  the  health  officials, 
who  regard  it  as  a  pleasure  to  supply  in- 
formation as  to  what  is  good  food,  and  where 
one  may  go  for  information  concerning  its 
production. 

A  proper  knowledge  of  milk  should  be 
considered  an  indispensable  part  of  the 
equipment  of  a  housekeeper.  No  person 
charged  with  the  responsibility  of  furnish- 
ing food  can  afford  to  be  ignorant  of  what 
milk  represents  in  the  regimen  of  human 
diet.  Its  value  is  becoming  appreciated 
throughout  the  entire  world,  and  the  con- 
sumption greatly  increased.  It  is  recog- 
nized as  a  complete  food,  containing,  as  it 

133 


Clean  Milk 


does,  a  proportion  of  the  elements  found  in 
the  nitrogenous  food,  the  carbohydrates, 
and  the  fats,  and,  in  addition,  many  of  the 
minerals  required  by  the  human  body.  As 
the  result  of  the  labors  of  scientific  men  im- 
proved methods  have  been  devised  for  its 
production  and  preservation,  and  apprehen- 
sion on  esthetic  or  hygienic  grounds  has  been 
almost  entirely  removed. 

The  advance  made  by  the  dairy  farmer  and 
the  milk  dealer  require  that  the  consumer 
shall  also  organize  the  methods  in  order 
that  the  improvement  accomplished  by  them 
may  be  maintained  and  extended.  The 
treatment  of  milk  in  the  average  household 
is  woefully  careless,  and  done  without 
knowledge  of  the  why  and  wherefore.  The 
prevailing  belief  that  a  thunderstorm  is  the 
cause  of  milk  souring  is  one  instance  of  mis- 
understanding. The  fact  that  it  is  easy  to 
purchase  milk  which  will  not  sour  during  a 
thunderstorm  should  suggest  to  the  con- 
sumer that  there  must  be  some  other  reason. 
And  the  reason  is  the  presence  of  lactic  acid 

134 


The  Duty  of  the  Consumer 


forming  bacteria  in  the  milk.  Secure  milk 
which  does  not  contain  these  bacteria  and  it 
will  not  sour.  It  is  not  disputed  that  milk 
sours  during  a  thunderstorm,  but  the  cause 
is  not  the  thunderstorm  itself,  but  certain 
conditions  accompanying  it,  which  are  favor- 
able to  the  action  of  lactic  acid  bacteria. 

The  consumer  should  further  brush  up  his 
knowledge  of  bacteria  and  be  primed  on  the 
difference  between  clean  earth  and  bacterial 
dirt.  The  former  is  harmless,  while  the  lat- 
ter is  an  enemy  to  be  ceaselessly  and  vigi- 
lantly guarded  against.  The  milkman  who 
proudly  holds  up  to  view  a  bottle  of  milk, 
clear  of  visible  soil,  should  be  compelled  to 
give  something  more  reliable  than  this  spec- 
tacular exhibition.  He  should  be  asked  to 
demonstrate  as  well  the  absence  of  bacterial 
contamination,  and  compelled  to  give  proof 
that  in  his  process  of  extracting  soil,  which 
may  be  perfectly  harmless,  he  has  not  added 
to  the  milk  numbers  of  lactic  acid  and  other 
harmful  bacteria. 

Milk  in  the  household  is  governed  by  the 

135 


Clean  Milk 


very  same  rules  which  are  in  force  at  the 
dairy  farm.  It  is  a  manifest  injustice  to  the 
farmer  and  the  dealer  that,  after  their  con- 
scientious efforts  to  deliver  milk  in  a  whole- 
some condition,  it  should  be  spoiled  through 
carelessness  or  ignorance  on  the  part  of  the 
householder.  There  is  even  a  greater  need 
for  proper  care,  as,  by  the  time  milk  reaches 
the  consumer,  Nature's  provision  for  preserv- 
ing milk  has  been  exhausted. 

The  care  of  milk  may  be  briefly  stated: 
Expose  it  as  little  as  possible  and  keep  it 
iced. 

Once  the  dealer  delivers  it  his  responsibil- 
ity is  ended  and  that  of  the  consumer  begins. 
It  should  never  be  permitted  to  stand  for 
hours  before  being  placed  in  the  ice  box. 
Where  it  is  delivered  before  people  are 
awake  provision  for  icing  it  in  warm  weather 
should  be  made.  As  one  of  the  "modern 
conveniences,"  so  much  vaunted  in  city 
apartments,  there  should  be  an  ice  box  for 
containing  milk  until  the  tenants  are  ready 
to  care  for  it.    Such  a  receptacle  would  pay 

136 


The  Duty  of  the  Consumer 


for  itself  many  times  over  by  the  milk  it 
would  save  from  spoiling. 

Once  milk  is  received  in  the  family  it 
should  go  immediately  into  the  ice  box  and 
be  kept  in  a  compartment  separate  from 
strong-smelling  foods.  The  bottle,  if  not 
covered  by  a  sealed  cap,  should  be  cleaned 
before  being  opened,  and  always  kept  cov- 
ered when  milk  is  not  being  poured  out. 

It  must  be  recognized  that  milk  shall  go 
into  none  but  clean  vessels,  and  these  ves- 
sels shall  always  have  a  cover. 

For  the  dining  table,  milk  should  be  served 
after  the  manner  of  coffee,  in  a  pot,  accom- 
panied by  a  small  cup  or  glass  for  drinking. 
The  milk  pot  should  be  made  after  the  style 
of  a  syrup  pitcher,  with  a  tight-fitting  cover. 

In  hotels,  restaurants,  and  other  public 
eating  places,  whose  cuisine  and  service  is 
otherwise  faultless,  the  manner  of  serving 
milk  is  antiquated.  Whereas  in  families  and 
households,  bottled  milk  has  long  been  in 
use,  there  still  remains  in  hotels  and  restau- 
rants, the  unclean  practise  of  dipping  milk 

137 


Clean  Milk 


from  large  receptacles.  All  the  thought  and 
attention  lavished  on  other  foods  is  denied 
to  milk,  which  in  fact  requires  the  most  care- 
ful protection.  Just  as  the  wine  and  finer 
grades  of  beer  and  ale  are  brought  to  the 
table  in  sealed  bottles,  so  also  should  milk, 
and  brands  of  milk  of  known  reputation  for 
cleanliness.  The  hotel  keeper  has  no  excuse 
for  not  furnishing  milk  in  this  manner,  as 
many  dealers  are  able  to  supply  him  with 
pint  or  quart  jars,  which  have  been  sealed  at 
the  dairy,  and  the  question  of  cost  is  not  to 
be  considered.  At  most  it  is  only  a  fraction 
more  than  the  present  objectionable  method 
calls  for  and  the  advance  in  cleanliness  is 
imperatively  needed.  Certainly  the  patrons 
of  expensive  hotels  are  entitled  to  every  re- 
finement in  the  service  of  their  food,  and  a 
bottle  of  milk,  known  to  have  been  produced 
and  delivered  with  a  regard  for  cleanliness, 
is  no  longer  a  luxury. 

Flies  must  be  ever  and  constantly  guarded 
against.  A  fly  in  milk  should  be  considered 
an  offense  and.  when  sickness  exists  in  the 

138 


The  Duty  of  the  Consumer 


house,  sufficient  cause  to  discard  the  por- 
tion of  milk  it  has  touched.  A  good  rule  to 
follow  is  that  only  the  amount  needed  for 
immediate  use  should  be  taken  from  the 
main  supply  in  the  ice  box. 

The  exact  value  of  pasteurization  and 
sterilization  of  milk  should  be  clearly  under- 
stood and  the  effect  of  these  processes  not 
exaggerated.  They  are  effective  for  the  time 
being  and  are  a  protection  against  the  con- 
tamination which  has  already  taken  place. 
They  do  not,  however,  operate  to  control 
future  contamination,  and  it  is  folly  to  sup- 
pose that  milk  once  heated  to  174°  F.,  or 
even  to  the  boiling  point,  has  been  made 
proof  against  the  action  of  bacteria,  which 
enter  after  the  milk  has  undergone  either  of 
these  processes.  Pasteurized  milk  and  ster- 
ilized milk  cannot  be  exposed  with  impunity, 
nor  can  they  be  preserved  without  proper 
icing.  The  same  care  and  treatment  ac- 
corded raw  milk  must  be  given  to  them  if 
the  good  effects  of  the  heating  processes  are 
to  be  retained. 

139 


Clean  Milk 


Milk  vessels  should  be  selected  primarily 
with  a  view  to  their  adaptability  to  thor- 
ough cleaning,  which  means  also  their 
adaptability  to  keeping  milk  sweet.  Much 
of  the  souring  of  milk,  not  only  in  the  house- 
hold but  also  at  the  dairy  farms  and  in  the 
milk  dealers'  stores,  may  be  ascribed  to  im- 
j>roper  cleaning  of  utensils  used  to  contain 
milk.  Coagulated  milk  contains  great  num- 
bers of  lactic  acid  forming  bacteria,  which 
effect  the  souring  of  milk,  and  in  milk  ves- 
sels this  coagulated  milk  lodges  in  seams, 
rims,  crevices,  and  corners. 

It  follows,  therefore,  that  milk  vessels 
should  not  be  fancy  in  shape  with  narrow 
necks  and  ornamented  with  flutings  and 
indentations.  The  interior,  at  least,  should 
be  designed  to  resemble  a  hollow  sphere, 
bowl  shaped,  with  smooth,  even  sides  form- 
ing with  the  bottom  a  rounded  corner. 

The  use  of  tin  vessels  is  in  general  to  be 
avoided,  because  of  their  tendency  to  rust 
and  the  liability  of  open  seams. 

The  cleaning  of  vessels  cannot  be  done  too 

140 


The  Duty  of  the  Consumer 


carefully.  A  vessel  once  used  to  contain 
milk  should,  unless  it  be  used  again  imme- 
diately, be  considered  unfit  for  use  again 
until  it  has  been  cleaned.  Proper  cleaning 
consists  in  first  rinsing  the  vessel  in  cold 
water,  secondly,  washing  it  in  hot  water,  to 
which  has  been  added  a  solvent,  such  as  soap 
or  washing  powder,  thirdly,  rinsing  it  in 
clean,  hot  water,  and,  lastly,  draining  it. 

The  milk  bottle  has  great  possibilities  as 
the  object  of  a  campaign  of  education.  A 
diffusion  of  knowledge  concerning  the 
proper  use  of  this  article  would  be  no  slight 
contribution  to  the  improvement  of  the  milk 
supply,  and  would,  at  the  same  time,  count 
as  a  useful  and  necessary  addition  to 
hygienic  practise.  Needless  to  say,  the  milk 
dealer  would  rejoice  exceedingly  if  this  came 
to  pass.  The  misuse  of  the  milk  bottle  is  for 
him  a  burning  topic  of  discussion  and  an 
incitement  to  denunciation,  for  it  amounts 
to  such  an  imposition  that  the  consumer 
should  hasten  to  give  the  dealer  his  due:  re- 
turn his  bottles,  and  return  them  clean. 

141 


Clean  Milk 


The  pecuniary  loss  inflicted  upon  the 
dealer  through  the  destruction  and  misap- 
propriation of  milk  bottles  by  his  customers 
is  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  extent  of  the 
business  transaction  involved.  It  is  an  in- 
stance of  downright  injustice,  and  no  one 
cognizant  of  the  magnitude  of  the  abuse  can 
fail  to  sympathize  with  the  dealer.  The 
truth  of  his  grievance  is  obvious  to  every 
observer,  and  the  facts  point  to  a  most 
reprehensible  thoughtlessness  among  many 
people  who  purchase  bottled  milk. 

In  the  existing  conditions  of  things  the 
dealer  must  provide  a  bottle,  and  present  the 
use  of  it  as  a  gift  pure  and  simple  to  his  cus- 
tomer. The  invention  of  the  familiar  quart 
bottle  was  itself  a  boon  to  the  consumer  of 
milk,  and  when  there  is  added  the  free  use 
of  it,  even  though  it  be  an  act  of  compulsory 
generosity,  one  would  expect,  from  the  usual 
faith  in  one's  fellow  beings,  some  acknowl- 
edgment of  the  indebtedness.  What  actu- 
ally happens  has  changed  many  a  decent, 
wholesouled  milkman  into  a  cynical  pessi- 

142 


r— — — i 

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i-  o                       ;| 

CC  UJ 

0.   — 1                                       1 

tt  o                      1 

•a 

II 

The  Duty  of  the  Consumer 


mist  of  the  worst  stripe.  His  bottles  dis- 
appear at  a  rate  that  makes  him  think  that 
his  customers  are  consuming  the  bottles  as 
well  as  the  milk  contained  in  them.  Too 
often  they  go  up  the  dumb  waiter  and  that 
is  the  end  of  them,  as  far  as  the  dealer  is 
concerned.  A  good  share  of  his  profits,  or  it 
may  be  his  working  capital,  goes  for  new 
bottles,  while  his  lost  ones,  or  rather  those 
which  have  escaped  the  garbage  barrel,  re- 
appear in  various  capacities  in  the  custom- 
er's household. 

The  dealer  is  deprived  of  the  use  of  his 
property,  and  this  property  will  be  even 
destroyed  with  never  a  thought  of  compen- 
sation therefor.  This  is  manifest  injustice, 
and  the  sufferer  thereby  feels  it  keenly.  The 
business  of  retailing  bottled  milk  at  the 
best  does  not  boast  any  such  profit  that  the 
destruction  of  bottles  can  be  calmly  charged 
up  to  profit  and  loss,  and  if  the  milkman's 
pecuniary  reward  be  almost  wiped  out  by 
the  loss  in  bottles,  what  in  the  world  has 
he  left  for  the  hardships  and  exacting  labor 

143 


Clean  Milk 


of  his  calling?  The  consciousness  that  he 
has  performed  a  service  to  society  may  ap- 
peal to  an  altruist,  but  it  is  extremely  poor 
satisfaction  for  a  merchant  such  as  the  milk- 
man. 

The  restitution  of  the  milk  bottle  may  be 
a  matter  of  ethical  conduct  for  the  medita- 
tion of  the  consumer,  but  the  use  and  misuse 
of  the  article  concerns  the  entire  community. 
For  a  vessel  designed  and  intended  only  to 
contain  a  fluid  food  destined  to  pass  between 
human  lips,  the  vicissitudes  of  the  milk  bot- 
tle are  beyond  comprehension.  It  ekes  out 
many  a  meagre  crockery  closet,  and  in 
numerous  households  is  put  to  divers  repre- 
hensible uses.  The  various  purposes  ful- 
filled by  this  food  receptacle  would  make  a 
catalogue  of  astonishing  length  and  variety, 
and  the  abuse  has  grown  to  such  propor- 
tions that  prompt  and  vigorous  action 
should  be  taken.  A  campaign  of  education 
on  milk  and  milk  vessels  would  do  much  to 
remedy  the  evil,  and  local  boards  of  health, 
by  incorporating  in  their  regulations  a  pro- 

144 


The  Duty  of  the  Consumer 


vision  limiting  the  use  of  milk  bottles,  could 
impress  people  with  the  necessity  for  reserv- 
ing this  article  for  its  purpose. 

The  fact  that  epidemics  of  contagious 
diseases  have  been  traced  to  milk  bottles 
which  came  from  houses  where  the  disease 
existed  indicates  a  plain  duty  of  the  con- 
sumer. In  case  of  any  communicable  disease 
in  the  family  no  milk  bottle  should  leave  the 
premises  unless  it  has  been  boiled  for  ten 
minutes. 

The  cleaning  of  milk  bottles  before  they 
are  returned  to  the  dealer  is  incumbent  upon 
every  person  who  uses  bottled  milk.  The 
simplest  rule  of  good  housekeeping  calls  for 
this,  and  proper  methods  in  the  kitchen 
would  accomplish  it  as  a  matter  of  course. 
It  is  one  of  the  small  things  whose  moral 
effect  may  be  considerable.  The  difference 
between  returning  to  the  milkman  a  clean 
bottle  and  an  unclean  or  filthy  one  is  not 
lost  upon  him,  or  upon  the  other  individu- 
als who  handle  it  in  the  course  of  its  journey 
to  and  from  the  consumer. 

145 


Clean  Milk 


After  the  bottles  are  cleaned  they  should 
not  be  placed  in  basements  or  areaways,  but 
kept  in  the  household  until  the  milkman 
calls  for  them.  This  practise  is  necessary 
because  of  the  protection  required  by  the 
bottles.  In  the  interval  between  leaving  the 
consumer's  hands  and  coming  into  the  care 
of  the  milkman  they  may  be  subjected  to 
many  undesirable  uses,  and  are  liable  to  be 
seriously  contaminated,  a  result  to  the  pre- 
vention of  which  the  consumer  should  lend 
his  assistance. 


nw/ 


429  W3  "Eft 

B4/»/fe"245    ~    * 


